World Water Day 2005

Are you aware that March 22 was World Water Day, marking the start of the Water For Life Decade? If not, you're probably also unaware of Water, Gender and Poverty Alleviation advocacy:

Everybody, men, women and children must help manage and share water fairly. Conflicts over ‘troubled waters’ - sometimes too much, too little or too polluted - must be avoided. They harm people, food production, nature, the environment, and sustainable development in general.

Research and practical experience from the Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) have demonstrated that effective, efficient and equitable management of the available water is only achieved when both women and men are involved in making decisions on how to best share, supply and protect water.

A gender sensitive approach shows that women and men have distinctive roles and responsibilities in water. Striking a gender balance ensures that:
• old and new roles and responsibilities of all women and men are mobilised to best effect for the well-being of all;
• the creativity, energy and knowledge of both sexes contribute to making water schemes and eco-systems work better; and
• the benefits and costs of water use accrue equitably to all groups.

Meaningless bureaucratic waffle like this gets written because someone gets paid to write it. Who with any sense would take any notice of it, other than to poke fun at it?

In honour of World Water Day the WHO could at least have insisted Terri Schiavo be given a sip.


Update: Here's hoping more gets accomplished over the Water For Life Decade than UNICEF managed over the last 10 years.


Update II: The Currency Lad takes note of Florida's emerging water terrorism problem.