The issue of water — its quality, its quantity, and its guaranteed availability to all people regardless of income or social status — is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world community today. That is why UNEP has chosen the slogan — Water — Two Billion People are Dying For It! for this year’s World Environment Day celebrations.

The slogan emphasises the urgency of providing an adequate supply of water to all the people of the world. It is a sad fact that one third of our fellow human beings face lives of disease and hardship simply because they lack access to safe water or proper sanitation — the most important elements for a healthy and productive life. Those who suffer most are overwhelmingly the poorest people of the developing world — especially their children.

The widespread provision of clean water and sanitation is integral to the achievement of many of the Millennium Development Goals, especially reducing child mortality. Unsanitary water provides a breeding ground for parasites, amoebas and bacteria. In the time it takes to read this message, unsafe water will have contributed to the death of 40 children and damaged the health and development of countless more. All told, water-related diseases — rarely seen in the affluent world, and often easy to prevent or treat — account for 80 per cent of illnesses and deaths in the developing world.

If we are to meet the commitments agreed at the Millennium Summit and at last year’s World Summit on Sustainable Development to halve by 2015 the number of people without access to safe water and adequate sanitation, the world will have to spend up to US$ 180 billion annually, more than double what is being spent today. Nevertheless, the water-related health crisis that confronts one third of the world’s population can, in many cases, also be alleviated cheaply at the local level. Simple measures taken at home, in the workplace, and across cities and communities, can make a profound difference to people’s well being. Basic household hygiene practices, purifying water before it is drunk, installing water supply solutions like rainwater harvesting — these are all simple, cost-effective measures that can help save lives and improve the standard of living of millions of children and their families throughout the world.

Each year World Environment Day provides a unique opportunity for local and global action to tackle the many environmental challenges facing us. On this day, I urge everybody to think about the two billion people who are currently dying for a fair share of clean, safe water. This is our World Environment Day message in the International Year of Freshwater. Let us ask what we can do, individually and collectively, to make sure that the world’s precious supply of fresh water — water which we need for life — is used responsibly, kept clean and safe, and equitably shared for the benefit of all who share this planet.

Klaus Toepfer
UNEP Executive Director