Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

X X/ P R E L I M I N A R YProloguePrologueIT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE this first edition of the World Water Development Report, Water for People,Water for Life, which, like the World Water Assessment Programme itself, is a product of many hands working in closecollaboration. The Report emphasizes the critical importance of freshwater in every region of the world. It shows howhuman development is stifled without an adequate supply of water of suitable quality. It shows how peace and harmonybetween and within nations are threatened where, for whatever reason, there is insufficient water to meet human andenvironmental needs. And it shows how the value of freshwater exceeds narrow economic calculations by encompassing awhole range of social, cultural and ethical considerations.Water is a common element in the lives of all peoples and societies. Water has been the foundation, and sometimes theundoing, of many great civilizations and today is essential for the agricultural, economic and industrial activity that helpssocieties to develop.As a drop of water makes its way from the mountain top to the sea, it can be used many times over: to alleviate thirst,sustain crops, facilitate industry, help generate electricity, remove wastes and, at the same time, support the naturalenvironment. As an element with multiple uses, water links activities together and, in so doing, it links people together. Forthese reasons, it must be managed wisely through an integrated approach that takes account of all uses and users.The achievement of an integrated management of freshwater resources places a premium on cooperation. Within in anyone country, this requires the many ministries involved in water management to come together in common purpose, especiallywhen demand for the resource outstrips supply. When freshwater is subject to several national jurisdictions, as is often the casewith major river systems and lakes, the need for integrated international approaches and well-designed mechanisms for theamicable resolution of disputes is imperative.Through the World Water Assessment Programme, many United Nations agencies and other entities concerned withfreshwater issues have come together in common effort to monitor and assess this vital resource. I am proud that UNESCO hasbeen playing the role of coordinator and catalyst for this system-wide process by hosting the Secretariat of the World WaterAssessment Programme. As a key outcome of this collaborative work, the Report is an important contribution to theInternational Year of Freshwater and the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto in March.I commend and welcome the World Water Development Report as a basis for informed discussion on freshwater issues. Iam sure that its findings and analyses will be invaluable for placing public debate, policy formation and decision-making on asound footing, grounded upon evidence and cogent argumentation.The world is full of uncertainty and it is difficult to predict the future. By working together, however, we can help to shapethe world and make it a better place – for people, for life.Koïchiro MatsuuraDirector-General, UNESCO