WASoMI training platform launched
8. March 2024
World Water day 2024 in the plastic age
22. March 2024
Preliminary information: Water for Peace – World Water Day 2024
World Water Day, celebrated every year on 22 March since 1993, is a United Nations annual day of action that focuses on the importance of freshwater.
World Water Day celebrates water, teaches us about the importance of water in different contexts, and guides our thoughts and raises awareness of the more than 2.2 billion people worldwide who live without access to clean water. World Water Day is about raising the visibility and recognizing the value of water as well as taking action to protect water and tackle the global water crisis.
A central aim of World Water Day is to support the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Each year, UN-Water - the UN coordination body for water and sanitation - sets the theme for World Water Day. The theme for this year’s World Water Day 2024 is "Leveraging Water for Peace"; the campaign is simply "Water for Peace".
Key Messages of World Water Day 2024
Water can create peace or trigger conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people fight for access, tensions can arise. If we all work together on water - as a society, across all stakeholders- we can balance everyone's water needs and help stabilise the world.
Prosperity and peace depend on water. In addressing climate change, mass migration and political unrest, nations must put water cooperation at the centre of their plans.
Water can lead us out of crisis. We can promote harmony between communities and countries by working together for equitable and sustainable water use - from United Nations conventions at the international level to action at the local level.
Materials to celebrate World Water Day and take action
Here are some resources to inform and inspire you to get involved in the 2024 World Water Day "Water for Peace" campaign – everyone can take action.
Resources for the campaign
- Activation kit
- Certificate
- Visual identifier (zip file)
- Fact Sheet
- Poster (zip file)
- Social media kit (zip file)
UN-Water
- Blueprint for Acceleration: Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2023
- UN-Water (2020), UN-Water Policy Brief on the United Nations global water conventions: Fostering sustainable development and peace
- UN World Water Development Report
- Water Facts page on ’Water and peace’
- World Water Day archive of resources and themes
- World Water Day 2024 pivot event (Coming soon)
United Nations
- UN Water Convention (The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes)
- UN Watercourses Convention (The Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses)
- The Convention on Wetlands (The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat)
UNESCO
- UN World Water Development Report 2024
- Transboundary Aquifers: Challenges and the Way Forward (2022)
UNICEF
OHCHR
World Bank
Further Information
