Beijing Declaration

The World Water and Culture Research Centre
Beijing, China, 22 Mar 07

Coping with water scarcity building harmonious world

In the event of the 15th World Water Day, the China Drinking Water Summit was held on March 21st-22nd 2007 in Beijing China. Hundreds of people including officials, specialist, entrepreneurs, academicians from China Academy of Science, as well as officials from WHO corporation centre, international drinking resource protection organization participated in this meeting.

Since “Humankind Environmental Declaration” was released on June 5th, 1972, mankind environment is not improved, but has gone from bad to worse, resources are dried up, ecosystem is destroyed, species have died out, water quality get turbid, garbage accumulated……..water is a strategic resource to the human life, social progress development of the economy as well as security of the world. In the 21st century humankind will fight for water, so the water scarcity will be a world crisis.
In order to sustainability of mankind and social’s development, in order that anyone has a right to enjoy healthy and happy life in the harmonious world, all the participants passed the Beijing declaration “coping with water scarcity, building harmonious world” during the summit meeting.

1. The water is source of human life and the most important source of nature resource which is limited in the world and not be able to replace. It is the blood of the environment and source of the energy of human life and health. To deepen people’s understandings to water quality, the proposal is to establish a special education system to disseminate water knowledge and raise public’s awareness.

2. We have the responsibility to call on to prevent diseases from water quality because 80% of diseases in developing country and one third of death in the world are caused by infectant water.

3. According to “United Nations charter” and principals of international lawwe advise that each country has to work out and perfect water environment development policy to adapt sustainable development to ensure water environment protection in the homeland and other countries.

4. To shorten the gap in living standards in the world and satisfy peoples basic demand of life, we call on all entrepreneurs and awareness-well people to work together to eliminate poverty caused by water quality, which is most important condition of sustainable development.

5. To ensure and recover heath and integrity of the water’s ecosystem of the earth, each country has to have tight corporation based on spirit of global partner. Accordance to the factors of pollution and degradation of water of environment, we have to bear the social responsibility to human beings.

6. To ensure drinking water quality and sustainable development, we should reduce and eliminate unsustainable productive and consumptive ways, saving water and preventing pollution.

7. Through the exchange of new technology and culture in different countries, it will be able to raise recognition of water science. Nations should make equal and mutual beneficial corporation through innovation and transfer of new water treatment technology at low cost to reinforce national continuous development.

8. Those who destroy water environment and pollute or transfer infectant water will be punished by economic measures or laws. Meanwhile, laws of compensation for casualty from pollution should be constituted.

9. Caring for our water resources is everyone’s business. We call on everyone to try hard to know water-destroyed information. Meanwhile we call on government and institutions to try hard to supply opportunity to promote and encourage public’s decision-making.

10. We should encourage people’s creativity and sprit, widely adopt advanced preventive measures for water environment (aiming at flood, scarcity, sewerage, etc.) to strive for humankind’s sustainable development, world’s peace and humankind’s progress.

Susan Niu,
E-mail: idm@chinaidm.com

Contact: Susan Niu <idm@chinaidm.com>