Coping with Water Scarcity: World Water Day 2007

"Coping with Water Scarcity" is the theme for World Water Day 2007. This brings to the forefront the need for increased cooperation to ensure sustainable and equitable management of water resources both within Canada and around the world.

No development can take place in a community without an adequate water supply, yet this remains a fact of life for more than one billion people, mostly the very poor.

Population and industrial growth compound the problem of water scarcity not only in terms of use, but also in emissions, environmental degradation, and agricultural sustainability. The complexity of water-related development and the interconnectedness of all water resources calls for solutions that bridge communities, sectors, cultural divides, and national borders.

Canada supports the achievement of the water targets in the UN Millennium Development Goals, helping countries develop and implement integrated water-resource management plans. Most of CIDA's water-related programming has been delivered through bilateral channels, although CIDA also supports water-related infrastructure activities through direct contributions to international financial institutions and capacity-development programming with other donors.

We invite you to consult the following websites to learn more about World Water Day and its importance for international development:

• World Water Day 2007 - United Nations
• UN-Water
• UNESCO - Water
• Environment Canada: Water
• RésEAU: Building Canadian Water Connections (Environment Canada)