March 21 was the 21st anniversary of World Water Day. On this day, we call attention to the centrality of water in our lives and communities, and we recognize the vital work that must continue to ensure that every person has access to clean water and sanitation. The acute challenges in improving access to clean water and sanitation in developing countries are well known. Nearly 800 million people lack clean water and more than 2 billion people are without basic sanitation. In a world of increasing water scarcity and climate unpredictability, the risks associated with an unstable water supply will only intensify. A wide assortment of global health and development challenges can be traced directly, or indirectly, to a lack of access to clean water and integrated water resource management. In recent years, the depth and pervasiveness of these problems have gained increasing attention. In 2000, the U.S. signed the Millennium Development Goals, one of which seeks to halve the number of people without access to clean water and basic sanitation by 2015. This attention has also led to the formation of international partnerships such as Water and Sanitation for All in 2012, of which the United States is an active member. As projections stand now, the MDG clean water target has already been met while there is still a long way to go in reaching the sanitation goal by 2015.…
On the recordMarch 31, 2014
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