This 22^nd of March marked the 20^th anniversary of World Water Day – an annual international day that celebrates freshwater, with each year highlighting a specific aspect of freshwater. This year, in line with International Year of Water Cooperation, World Water Day focused on cooperation around water.

“Water is central to the well being of people and the planet,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon said in his video message for the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013. “We must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource.”

The fulfillment of basic human needs, the environment, socioeconomic development and poverty reduction are all dependent on water, said Ban. “Cooperating around this precious resource is key for security, poverty eradication, social equity and gender equality.”

Today more than 780 million people do not have access to safe drinking water, while 2.5 billion people lack proper sanitation. Rapid population growth is putting increased pressure on water sources for food production, energy supply, and for both domestic and industrial uses. While these demands increase, water sources are threatened by climate change, urban expansion, and pollution.

Good water management can be particularly challenging due to the fact that it is not evenly distributed across the world – either spatially or seasonally; and the water cycle is complex, with impacts on one part of the cycle often affecting other areas – for example melting glaciers impact water availability and future water supply.

Water is a resource that is shared both within and across national boundaries, and to avoid conflict between different users, this needs to be taken into account when managing it. In designating 2013 as the UN International Year of Water Cooperation, the United Nations General Assembly recognizes that cooperation is vital in order to balance the needs and priorities of different user groups to ensure fair and equitable sharing of this essential resource, using it to promote peace rather than conflict. But in order to achieve this we will need to manage it holistically, not only taking scientific, cultural and educational factors into account, but also taking cognizance of social, ethical, religious, political, economic, legal and institutional elements as well.

What is Water Cooperation?

To effectively manage water requires cooperation between different users at both local and international level. To build a simple village water pump requires cooperation between local people to get the job done successfully; diverting water from a river in order to irrigate crops may require the cooperation of regional players; when water is supplied by a river which crosses political borders, international cooperation is required to share the resource equitably and to avoid potential conflict between various users who may have different needs and/or cultures. Similarly, groundwater sources that lie across international boundaries may also require cooperative sharing.

When there is no cooperation between managers and/or different users of water resources, the management of that resource becomes less effective, which can have a negative environmental and economic impact, ultimately adversely effecting human lives. However, when cooperation is achieved and water shared equitably between users, peace is more likely to prevail, followed by sustainable development and prosperity.

UN Water for Life Best Practices Award

At the official ceremony of World Water Day 2013 that took place in The Hague, UN Water has recognized two projects that contribute to the fulfillment of international commitments made on water and water-related issues this year. The UN Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award was given to a project implemented in the city of Kumamoto in Japan for the conservation of groundwater resources, and to the Republic of Moldova's “Safe Water and Sanitation for All” initiative, which strives to provide safe drinking water and improved sanitation to rural areas of the country.