Water is vital to us all, so everyone needs to act. Every drop counts and your actions, big or small, can make a difference.

This is the story of a drop of groundwater that passes from hand to hand around the world, and the difficulties water is facing today. 

In 2015 the world committed to ensuring access to water and sanitation for all by 2030.  But we are seriously off-track. Billions of people are being held back, because this promise is not fulfilled. World Water Day 2023 (22 March) is about accelerating change and encouraging individuals to “Be the change” through actions. This year, the observance coincides with the UN 2023 Water Conference (22-24 March, New York), a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite the world around solving the water crisis by designing a Water Action Agenda for a rapid change in the remainder of this decade.

By nature, water connects different environments, peoples and sectors. But growing demands for water, coupled with poor water management, have increased water stress around the world. Meanwhile, the effects of worsening climate change are often felt through water, in the form of floods or droughts. Something has to change.

ILO brings us the story of Yasin Muhumad Faarah, an Ethiopian farmer, lost all his cattle in a recent drought. Without a regular supply of water, his future livelihood and that of other members of the community was in jeopardy. Together they built a water collection basin that promises a viable future for them all.

The General Assembly will hold the UN 2023 Water Conference from 22 to 24 March 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  Water is everyone’s business.  See how you can engage and also follow the preparatory meeting on 25 October 2022.

Indigenous peoples offer us valuable ways to address the global water crisis through their traditional practices, both in terms of the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the democratic governance of safe drinking water and sanitation. In the worldviews of indigenous peoples, water belongs to everyone and should remain available to all, as a common good. Voicing their concerns, indigenous peoples pointed out numerous challenges on water rights they face that have undermined their access to clean water and proper sanitation, according to a new OHCHR report.

The Wampís Nation protects the largest tropical forest in the world, and today, after decades of intense fighting to defend the land, they are leading a powerful effort to confront the water crisis by protecting the “flying rivers”. The Wampís Nation’s forests cover more than 1.3 million hectares within Peru, but through the flying rivers, they supply water for three countries. Flying rivers are caused by the sheer scale of evaporation and transpiration in the forests. The forests preserved by the Wampís Nation ensure water security for regions at risk of drought.

Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will need water and food assistance in 2022. As severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide, children could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided. UNICEF is providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa.

Water is one of the world’s most precious resources and access to clean water and safe, nutritious food is a basic human right. Water connects us all and is essential to everything we do. Water is also vital for agriculture, livestock and fisheries and key to food production, nutritional security and health. Yet, global water quality is deteriorating at an alarming rate, and land and water resources around the world are at a breaking point, according to FAO’s latest report, State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Our very existence depends on water. We all need water to drink and water to grow food. Water-related ecosystems also sustain livelihoods, food security and nutrition. However, freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Today, 3.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with high or very high water shortages or scarcity, of whom 1.2 billion people live in areas with very high water constraints. Ensuring more productive and sustainable use of freshwater and rainwater in agriculture, the world’s largest water user, is key to managing scarce water resources.

As the population of cities and urban areas in Africa is set to explode in the coming decades, how can we ensure an adequate supply of water for city dwellers?

In the Sechura desert, on Peru’s northern coast, several hours away from the main roads, hundreds of families survive hand-to-mouth. Drinking water is unavailable, and nutritious food is scarce – and expensive. Or, at least, it was. Thanks to a project backed by WFP, families share a 900-metre plot of land where they farm organic vegetables and raise farm animals. A drip irrigation system, installed with WFP’s support, allows for efficient use of underground waters, which the families can access through a communal reservoir. Families can now keep part of their harvest and sell the rest.

Irrigated crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry, account for roughly 70 per cent of total freshwater withdrawals globally. IFAD invests in multiple water use strategies in rural areas.

Groundwater accounts for 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth. However, this natural resource is often poorly understood and consequently undervalued, mismanaged and even abused. According to a report published by UNESCO, the vast potential of groundwater, and the need to manage it sustainably, can no longer be overlooked. Globally, water use is projected to grow by roughly 1% per year over the next 30 years. Our overall dependence on groundwater is expected to rise as surface water availability becomes increasingly limited due to climate change.