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PrefaceMICHEL JARRAUD, CHAIR OF UN-WATER AND SECRETARY-GENERALOF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO)Water is a shared resource on which life, the environment and most human activities depend.Our planet has some 276 transboundary basins and as many transboundary aquifers, and 148 countriesshare at least one basin with others. In many areas, water withdrawals are already exceeding the rechargecapacity of the environment, and water availability is decreasing. Up to 90 per cent of wastewater indeveloping countries flows untreated into the environment, threatening health, food security, and access tosafe drinking and bathing water.In recent decades, competition for water has increased sharply due to growing demands to satisfythe needs of a growing population, while the resource appears to be scarcer in many areas. The globalpopulation is expected to grow from a little over 7 billion today to 8 billion by 2025, with waterwithdrawals increasing by half in developing countries and by 18 per cent in developed countries. At thesame time, increasing variability in precipitation and an expected increase in droughts mean that, by the2070s, the number of people affected by drought is expected to rise from 28 million to 44 million.Water has rarely been the root of conflicts, but it can be an exacerbating factor where social and politicaltensions already exist. The interests of farmers, domestic users, hydropower generators, recreational users andecosystems are often at odds regarding water, and international boundaries make the situation even more complex.But while transboundary cooperation has often been difficult, experience has shown that sharing aresource as precious as water can be a catalyst for cooperation rather than conflicts. Across the world,hundreds of treaties have been signed between riparian states and the institutions created to manage anduse transboundary waters in an equitable and sustainable manner. These agreements have often broughtconcrete social, economic and political benefits to countries and their populations.By declaring 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation, the United Nations General Assemblyrecognizes the broad benefits of cooperation in the water domain for achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. That cooperation also plays an important role in contributing to the realisation of thehuman right to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for all.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has partnered with Tudor Rose topublish Free Flow, bringing together a broad range of water professionals and stakeholders to share theirknowledge and experiences. The chapters in this book reflect the progress and challenges encountered inthe fields of water management and cooperation around the world. I am confident that they will add tothe growing body of evidence on the benefits of water cooperation and provide valuable insight into theexperiences and practices that can make it a reality.Michel JarraudChair of UN-WaterSecretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)[ 5 ]