World Water Day, Global, 22 March 2010

UN-Water is dedicating World Water Day 2010 to the theme of water quality, reflecting its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management.

The World Water Day 2010 campaign aims to:

• Raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being through addressing the increasing water quality challenges in water management and
• Raise the profile of water quality by encouraging governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in proactively addressing water quality e.g. in pollution prevention, clean up and restoration.

World Water Day 2010 activities will aim to communicate messages on water quality, ecosystems and human well-being.

These include: the World Water Day 2010 website and communication and outreach materials, key publications and flagship initiatives around water quality; a global event on water quality around 22 March 2010; a policy dialogue for global commitment to address water quality, ecosystems, and human well-being challenges at key global political events; and outreach for action to address water quality challenges at other key conferences and campaigns.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is coordinating the organization of the World Water Day 2010 campaign on behalf of UN-Water and in collaboration with FAO, UNDP, UNECE, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, WHO, and the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication as well as with partner organizations such as International Water Association, World Wide Fund for Nature and World Water Council.

The IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre also manages a World Water Day web site.