World Water Day 2021

22 March 2021

World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, focuses on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

This Day is an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference. Water is an essential building block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health; water is vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human development.

A new World Water Development Report is released each year on or near World Water Day, to provide decision-makers with tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies. This report is coordinated by UNESCO’s World Water Development Programme (WWAP) on behalf of UN-Water. The annual theme for World Water Day is aligned with the focus of the report. This year´s theme is about what water means to people, it's true value and how we can better protect this vital resource. The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource.

UNESCO also contributes to the observance of World Water Day within the activities of its Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), which worlds all year long to build the scientific knowledge base to help countries manage their water resources in a sustainable way.

To support this initiative, the UNESCO Office in Almaty annually organizes a launch of the World Water Development Report to present its main conclusions to the countries of Central Asia, and since last year - to the countries of the South Caucasus. Stay tuned and join this year's celebration of the World Water Day!

Responsibility lies with all of us. Governments, associations, private partners: we must all recognize the multifold value of water and take action to conserve this basic resource, the resource which gives our planet its unique colour.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, on the occasion of World Water Day 2021