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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Clean water is vital for a better future

21 March 2003

On the eve of World Water Day, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, said:

"More than 1 billion people have no chance of seeing, let alone drinking a glass of clean water. Without access to safe drinking water, how can they hope for a better future?

"Water is at the centre of human development and poverty alleviation. It is also a major requirement for food production, industries, transport and ecosystems. Clean water is a limited resource in many countries, especially in arid areas and small island countries, many of which are members of the Commonwealth. In these countries lack of water does not only affect people's physical well-being; it also puts a barrier to economic growth.

"Three years ago, member countries of the United Nations agreed to a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These include reducing by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015. In September last year, world leaders meeting in Johannesburg at the World Summit on Sustainable Development further agreed to reducing by half the proportion of the population without access to sanitation by the year 2015. Taken together, these two targets called for a doubling of efforts to provide access to clean water and sanitation.

"The Commonwealth, with its organisations and people, is engaged in activities that highlight the vital role that water plays in our everyday life. Many Commonwealth governments have committed themselves to bringing about change in the way water is used and managed. This is encouraging, as meeting the MDGs will bring meaningful progress to people's lives.
"But the challenge is enormous. There is a need to raise awareness at all levels, from the highest authorities to the general public, and to create the political will required for delivering real change. The world must move from advocacy to actions if the agreements on targets reached in the last few years are to mean anything."

Note to Editors:
World Water Day is on 22 March.
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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int