World Water Day 2023: Meaning, Date, and Significance

 World Water Day 2023: Meaning, Date, and Significance 

What is World Water Day?

Every year since 1993, World Water Day (22 March) raises awareness and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis.  It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is a United Nations observance coordinated by UN-Water. The theme is proposed in advance by UN-Water. It is aligned with the annual publication of the UN World Water Development Report, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN Water. 

Why do we mark International Days?

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.

Accelerating change

World Water Day 2023 is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.

Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace.

In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030.

Right now, we are seriously off-track.

Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled.

There is an urgent need to accelerate change – to go beyond ‘business as usual.’

The latest data show that governments must work on average four times faster to meet SDG 6 on time, but this is not a situation that any single actor or group can solve.

Water affects everyone, so we need everyone to take action.

UN 2023 Water Conference, the year of commitments

Undoubtedly, 2023 is a particular year for commitments regarding the use of water and its sanitation.

The celebration of this World Water Day coincides with the start of the UN 2023 Water Conference (March 22-24, New York).

The conference is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite the world around solving the water and sanitation crisis.

National governments and stakeholders from all levels of society will collaborate to make voluntary commitments to accelerating progress on SDG 6 and other internationally-agreed water-related goals and targets.

These voluntary commitments will form the Water Action Agenda, designed to deliver rapid, transformative change in the remainder of this decade. Are you ready to add yours?

Did you know?

1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene. (WHO 2022)

Today, 1 in 4 people – 2 billion people worldwide – lack safe drinking water. (WHO/UNICEF 2021)

Almost half of the global population – 3.6 billion people – lack safe sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF 2021)

Globally, 44 per cent of household wastewater is not safely treated. (UN-Water 2021)

Global water demand (in water withdrawals) is projected to increase by 55 per cent by 2050. (OECD 2012)

Coming soon: UN World Water Development Report 2023

The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) is UN-Water’s flagship report on water and sanitation issues. Its 2023 edition, Partnerships and Cooperation for Water, will be launched on World Water Day and it will give policy recommendations to decision makers by offering best practices and in-depth analyses. The report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water.