International Water Day, “Water as a Common Good”

“Water Day” was first celebrated in 1993. A year earlier, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 22nd of each year as World Water Day.

Unfortunately, nearly three billion people in the world do not have access to water, which is particularly essential today for the prevention of Covid-19. Without water, hand washing – one of the primary preventive strategies for this virus – becomes impossible.

This day is celebrated to remind us of the relevance of this essential liquid (water and sanitation measures are key to poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability) and aims to raise awareness of the global water crisis, recognize water as a common good, and seek action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and sanitation for all by 2030.

This year, the UN invites us to focus our attention on water and climate change, as they are inextricably linked. It is done under the slogan “WATER COMMON GOOD”.

Three key messages for this day:

• We cannot afford to wait. Climate policymakers must put water as a Common Good at the centre of action plans.
• Managing water as a Common Good can help combat climate change. Sustainable, affordable and manageable water and sanitation solutions exist. It is time to implement them.
• We all have a role to play. In our daily lives, there are surprisingly easy steps that we all can take to address climate change. So too, at the political level, we can demand from companies and governments to fulfil their commitments, not to pollute water sources and not to allow water to become an object of the market.

For more information, we invite you to read the following document: