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dam-l E-Link: WWF and UNICEF Address Indian Water Crisis
>WWF and UNICEF ADDRESS FRESH WATER CRISIS
>
>NEW YORK, New York, April 22, 1998 (ENS) - Warnings of conflict that might
>result from a global lack of fresh drinking water have been heard with
>increasing frequency recently from French President Jacques Chirac and
>other top-level officials. On the eve of Earth Day the World Wide Fund For
>Nature (WWF) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed an
>agreement that commits the two organizations to work together to seek
>solutions to this emerging fresh water crisis.
>
>The joint undertaking comes as the world's governments, working under the
>auspices of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), are
>negotiating an action plan on freshwater resources. The activity is a
>follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
>
>"The crisis in freshwater is a crisis for children," said UNICEF's Dr.
>Rasheed. "Every year more than two million children under the age of five
>die as a result of unsafe water and poor environmental sanitation. To
>reduce this awful toll, UNICEF works to help communities protect and manage
>their water resources and environment. Partnerships like this are essential
>in the effort."
>
>The formal agreement followed the launch of a joint WWF-UNICEF report
>titled "Fresh Water for India's Children and Nature," the result of a
>two-year study of local level watersheds in five eco-regions of India. This
>research and resulting recommendations are an element in the evolution of
>India's national water policy, which is aimed at providing safe drinking
>water for millions and the rehabilitation of degraded freshwater ecosystems.
>
>A workshop this January in New Delhi, organized by UNICEF and WWF to
>discuss the draft report, had full participation from six major ministries
>from the Indian government and by leading non-profit groups, academic
>institutions and other stakeholders.
>
>The agreement was signed Tuesday by Dr. Claude Martin, Director General of
>WWF and Dr. Sadig Rasheed, Director of the Programme Division of UNICEF.
>
>"The India experience has inspired both WWF and UNICEF to engage in a
>global partnership," Dr. Martin said. "This is an open partnership. The
>more countries and governments join in, the better we shall be able to
>manage fresh water resources. Greater fresh water security means less
>suffering for women and children."
>
>WWF and UNICEF will undertake joint projects at the local, national and
>regional levels to promote sustainable community management of water
>resources and to establish the fundamental importance of overall ecosystem
>conservation. Emphasis will be placed on communicating the experiences and
>lessons learned in developed and developing countries regarding the
>management of fresh water resources.
>
>Particular attention will also be paid to protecting children from water
>pollution in urban and rural areas. Household water security will be
>addressed along with the need for environmental rehabilitation.
>
>As the joint project moves ahead, one African country will be selected to
>receive assistance. The two organizations hope to add other countries later.
>
>UNICEF and WWF will seek partnerships with other organizations, including
>inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, development banks,
>the private sector, donors, and the scientific and academic communities.
>
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