World Water Day

World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference. World Water Day dates back to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development where an international observance for water was recommended. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. It has been held annually since then.

Today, 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty.

World Water Day - Theme for 2023  

The theme of World Water Day 2023 is "Accelerating Change". 

This World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.  

Right now, we are seriously off-track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.  Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories don’t have the safe water and toilets they need. 

Water and sanitation flow through every aspect of sustainable development. Access to these essential services are human rights. A well managed water cycle is critical to human society and the integrity of the natural environment. These pages outline some of the key water related issues.    

Water Facts

• 2.1 billion people live without safe water at home.
• One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.
• More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.
• Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas
• Women and girls are responsible for water co-llection in eight out of ten households with water off-premises.
• Over 800 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth.
• For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is highly problematic.
• Around 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams.
• Around 4 billion people - nearly two-thirds of the world’s population - experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
• 700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.
• The wealthier generally receive high levels of WASH services at (often very) low cost, whereas the poor pay a much higher price for a service of similar or lesser quality.

Source : UN Water

Related Resources

1. 2023 UN World Water Development Report
2. Water Facts