World Water Day is an initative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development(UNCED) in Rio De Janeiro.

The UN Secretrary General says:"Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of the abysmal sanitation conditions endured by some 2.6 billion people globaly.This adds up to an unconscionable 1.5 million young lives cut short by a cause we know well how to prevent".

In 2009, the focus of World Water Day on March 22 will be on transboundary waters: sharing water, sharing opportunities. UNECE and UNESCO are the lead UN agencies this year. More information is available on the official UN World Water Day website