| Dates |
Events |
Outcomes |
Quotations |
| 2006 |
4th World Water Forum, Mexico
|
Ministerial Declaration
(PDF format)
Water for growth and development, Implementing Integrated Water resources Management (IWRM), water supply and sanitation for all, water management for food and the environment, risk management, responsibility of Governments, increased financial commitments.
2nd edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report |
’Reaffirm the critical importance of water, in particular freshwater, for all aspects on sustainable Development.’
(Ministerial Declaration) |
Beginning of the International Decade for Action ‘Water for life’ (2005-2015)
|
Beginning of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)
|
2003
International Year of Freshwater |
3rd World Water Forum, Japan
|
Ministerial Declaration
(PDF format)
Governance, integrated water resources management, gender, pro-poor policies, financing, cooperation, capacity-building, water use efficiency, water pollution prevention, disaster mitigation 1st edition of United Nations World Water Development Report |
'We recognize that good governance, capacity building and financing are of the utmost importance to succeed in our efforts.'
(Ministerial Declaration) |
| 2002 |
World Summit on Sustainable development, Rio+10, Johannesburg
Poverty eradication, sanitation, energy, financing, integrated water resources management, Africa |
Plan of Implementation |
'We agree to halve, by the year 2015 (...) the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation, which would include actions at all levels to:
- Develop and implement efficient household sanitation systems;
- Improve sanitation in public institutions, especially schools;
- Promote safe hygiene practices;
- Promote education and outreach focused on children, as agents of behavioural change;
- Promote affordable and socially and culturally acceptable technologies and practices;
- Develop innovative financing and partnership mechanisms;
- Integrate sanitation into water resources management strategies.'
(Plan of Implementation) |
| 2001 |
International Conference on Freshwater, Bonn
Water - key to sustainable developmentGovernance, mobilising financial resources, capacity building, sharing knowledge |
Ministerial Declaration Recommendations for action |
'Combating poverty is the main challenge for achieving equitable and sustainable development, and water plays a vital role in relation to human health, livelihood, economic growth as well as sustaining ecosystems.'
(Ministerial Declaration)
'The conference recommends priority actions under the following three headings:
- Governance
- Mobilising financial resources
- Capacity building and sharing knowledge'
(Bonn Recommendations for Action) |
2000
(March) |
2nd World Water Forum, the Hague
Water for people, water for food, water and nature, water in rivers, sovereignty, interbasin water education |
World Water Vision: Making Water Everybody's Business |
'- Involve all stakeholders in integrated management;
- Move to full-cost pricing of water services;
- Increase public funding for research and innovation;
- Increase cooperation in international water basins;
- Massively increase investments in water'
(Vision Statement and Key Messages, World Water Vision) |
| Ministerial Declaration 7 challenges: Meeting basic needs, Securing the food supply, Protecting ecosystems, Sharing water resources, Managing risks, Valuing water, Governing water wisely |
Ministerial Declaration on Water Security in the 21st Century (PDF format) |
'We will continue to support the UN system to re-assess periodically the state of freshwater resources and related ecosystems, to assist countries, where appropriate, to develop systems to measure progress towards the realisation of targets and to report in the biennial World Water Development Report as part of the overall monitoring of Agenda 21.'
(Ministerial Declaration, 7.B) |
| |
UN Millenium Declaration
(PDF format) |
'We resolve ... to halve, by the year 2015 ... the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water.'
(UN Millenium Declaration, 19.) |
End of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1990 - 2000)
|
| 1997 |
1st World Water Forum, Marrakech
Water and sanitation, management of shared waters, preserving ecosystems, gender equity, efficient use of water |
Marrakech Declaration |
'... to recognize the basic human needs to have access to clean water and sanitation, to establish an effective mechanism for management of shared waters, to support and preserve ecosystems, to encourage the efficient use of water...'
(Marrakech Declaration) |
| 1996 |
UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul
Sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world |
The Habitat Agenda |
'We shall also promote healthy living environments, especially through the provision of adequate quantities of safe water and effective management of waste.'
(10. The Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements) |
World Food Summit, Rome
Food, health, water and sanitation |
Rome Declaration on World Food Security |
'To combat environmental threats to food security, in particular, drought and desertification ... restore and rehabilitate the natural resource base, including water and watersheds, in depleted and overexploited areas to achieve greater production.'
(Plan of Action, Objective 3.2, Rome Declaration) |
| 1995 |
World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen
Poverty, water supply and sanitation |
Copenhagen Declaration on the Social Development |
'To focus our efforts and policies to address the root causes of poverty and to provide for the basic needs of all. These efforts should include the provision of ... safe drinking water and sanitation.'
(Chapter I - Resolutions adopted by the Summit, Commitment 2, b. Copenhagen Declaration) |
UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing
Gender issues, water supply and sanitation |
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action |
'Ensure the availability of and universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation and put in place effective public distribution systems as soon as possible.'
(106 x ,Beijing Declaration) |
| 1994 |
Ministerial Conference on Drinking Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation, Noordwijk
Drinking water supply and sanitation |
Action Programme |
'To assign high priority to programmes designed to provide basic sanitation and excreta disposal systems to urban and rural areas.'
(Action Programme) |
| UN International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo |
Programme of Action |
'To ensure that population, environmental and poverty eradication factors are integrated in sustainable development policies, plans and programmes.'
(Chapter III - Interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development, C- Population and Environment, Programme of Action) |
| 1992 |
International Conference on Water and the Environment, Dublin
Economic value of water, women, poverty, resolving conflicts, natural disasters, awareness |
Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development |
Principle 1 : 'Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment'
Principle 2 : 'Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy-makers at all levels'
Principle 3 : 'Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water'
Principle 4 : 'Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good'
(Guiding principles. The Dublin Statement on Water and sustainable Development) |
UN Conference on environment and Development (UNCED Earth Summit), Rio de Janeiro
Cooperation issue, water economics, participation, drinking water and sanitation, human settlements, sustainable development, food production, climate change |
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
Agenda 21 |
'establishing a new and equitable global partnership through the creation of new levels of cooperation among States, key sector societies and people.'
(Rio Declaration)
'The holistic management of freshwater ... and the integration of sectoral water plans and programmes within the framework of national economic and social policy, are of paramount importance for action in the 1990s and beyond.'
(Agenda 21, Section 2, Chapter 18) |
| 1990 |
Global Consultation on Safe Water and Sanitation for the 1990's, New Delhi
Safe drinking water, environmental sanitation |
New Delhi Statement:
"Some for all rather than more for some" |
'Safe water and proper means of waste disposal ... must be at the center of integrated water resources management'
(Environment and health, New Delhi Statement) |
World Summit for Children, New York
Health, food supply |
Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children |
'We will promote the provision of clean water in all communities for all their children, as well as universal access to sanitation.'
(18. World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children) |
Beginning of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1990 - 2000)
|
| 1981 - 1990 |
International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade |
"Despite the failure to meet the quantitative goals, much was learnt from the experience of the water and sanitation decade... There was further realisation of the importance of comprehensive and balance country-specific approaches to the water and sanitation problem. Most importantly, perhaps, was the realisation that the achievement of this goal that was set at the beginning of the decade would take far more time and cost far more money than was originally thought."
(CHOGUILL C., FRANCEYS R., COTTON A., Planning for water and sanitation, 1993) |
| 1977 |
UN Conference on Water, Mar del Plata
Assessment of water resources Water use and efficiency |
Mar del Plata Action Plan (MPAP) |
'... relatively little importance has been attached to water resources systematic measurement. The processing and compilation of data have also been seriously neglected.'
(Recommendation A: Assessement of water resources, Mar del Plata Action Plan) |
| 1972 |
UN Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm
Preservation and enhancement of the human environment |
Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment |
'A point has been reached in history when we must shape our actions throughout the world with a more prudent care for their environmental consequences.'
(6. Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment) |
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