"It is often said that water crisis and scarcities will at some point lead to armed conflict. But this need not be the case. Water problems have also been a catalyst for cooperation among peoples and nations. Whatever else divides the human community, whether we live upstream or downstream, in cities or in rural areas, water issues - the global water cycle itself - should link us in a common effort to protect and share it equitably, sustainably and peacefully".

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

"More than one billion men, women and children lack safe drinking water and sanitation services. As consumption rises, as unsustainable practices persist, as the effectiveness of water management policies lags badly behind the situation on the ground, the world water situation will grow more urgent and complex".

Louise Fr�chette, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations

"We know. that the availability of water affects educational opportunities, especially those of girls and women in rural areas whose onerous water-carrying tasks often reduce or eliminate their chances of receiving an education. We also recognize the important interface between culture and water, especially where local traditions and customs regulate access and use. Moreover, we see the connections between freshwater and major ecological concerns, including the oceans and global warming."

Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO

"More than five million people die each year from diseases caused by unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and inadequate water for hygiene. .With adequate supplies of safe drinking water and sanitation, the incidence if illness and death could drop by as much as 75 per cent."

Professor Godwin O. P. Obasi, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization

"Strong political leadership and support from national governments will be needed to turn things around. A stable policy environment will be essential to attract fresh investment in water and sanitation. And the urban poor, mostly living in slums and squatter settlements, should, unquestionably, receive high priority regarding future investment that they deserve."

Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT

For an effective right to water
by
Houria Tazi Sadeq Lawyer
President, Maghreb-Machrek Alliance for Water (ALMAE) Partner in the campaign to propose principles for a framework convention on the right to water Chairholder, UNESCO Interdisciplinary Chair in Sustainable Water Resources Management
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For a New Water Culture
by
Pedro Arrojo-Agudo
President, New Water Culture Foundation
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