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Stories

People in panel discussion during SDG Media Zone
The World Water Day 2023 campaign - set to run for the rest of this year - is all about how to be the change you want to see in the world by taking small, personal water actions that will ...
People in panel discussion during SDG Media Zone
Cooperation on water is vital for sustainable development and the ongoing fight against the impacts of climate change. On the launch day for the The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) 2023: Partnerships and cooperation for water, three experts ...
School gorl folding origami bird
Around 8,000 hummingbirds landed in New York last week during the UN 2023 Water Conference at UN Headquarters. These colourful, origami creations were made by children all around the world as part of the ‘Be the change’ campaign for World ...
Origami birds
Did you know that a group of hummingbirds can be called a shimmer, charm or bouquet? You and your class can now participate in the creation of a bouquet of hummingbirds, a colourful installation of origami birds created by students ...
Virtual orchestral concert for World Water Day
To raise awareness of the importance of water, the United Nations Chamber Music Society has premiered a musical piece called Archimedes’s Dreams, written by American composer Evan Fein. The classical piece is an ode to the ancient scientist Archimedes, whose ...
WMBD
In a statement for World Water Day, March 22, the organizations behind World Migratory Bird Day urge decision-makers at the UN 2023 Water Conference to reflect on the significance of water for migratory birds. Migratory birds rely on water and ...
Zambia: Students in a rural school near Gwembe learn about soilless cultivation, or hydroponics, in a greenhouse set up by WFP. Photo: WFP/Andy Higgins
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has marked World Water Day by highlighting its efforts to conserve and manage water in communities facing hunger and conflict. The WFP helps communities make the most of every drop of water by ...
World water day animation with animals
The star of the two-minute animated film for World Water Day 2023 is the hummingbird. In the ancient tale, the hummingbird is faced with a great fire and, rather than stand and stare, decides to act - trying to put ...
FAO animation
A new video from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) gives us eight actions we can all take to save water. How we shop, eat, cook and clean can have a big impact on precious water ...
Lazy guide
The UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UN DESA) has created a resource of simple actions and activities you can take to help accelerate change and raise awareness of the water and sanitation crisis. Try these two in the ...
Ethiopian man watering garden
Thanks to a project by the International Labour Organization (ILO), funded by the Japan Government, which employed local people to build waterworks, Yasin Muhumad Faarah now has a reliable, resilient water supply in his village in Jigjiga, Somali region, Ethiopia ...
Photos by Pranab Basak, India
For the seventh year in a row, the Lions Club Seregno AID, Italy, is holding a World Water Day Photo Contest focusing on this year’s theme of ‘Accelerating Change’. Ten judges from all over the world will choose winners from ...
World Water Run NYC
Staff members from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are running or walking 5 to 10km on World Water Day (22 March) as a way of raising global awareness of the ever-increasing freshwater shortages the world is ...
Fill up the glass
A new blog post on GlobalGoals.org is promoting youth activism and mobilization for water as a way to drive faster towards a more sustainable future. The post titled "Youth Mobilising for Water: Together Let's #FillUpTheGlass" highlights the ongoing challenges faced ...
United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States
New York Water Week will take place alongside the UN 2023 Water Conference being held at UN Headquarters in New York City. An initiative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Department of Environmental Protection, City of New York ...
Kids washing hands
The UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership (SWA) released a new handbook that supports parliamentarians in advancing the human rights to water and sanitation and promotes the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 worldwide. As we approach ...
Girls walking outside school toilet
Applications are open to join the largest global community of sanitation entrepreneurs dedicated to making an impact on SDG 6.2 - safely managed sanitation for all by 2030. The Toilet Board Coalition’s Accelerator matches entrepreneurs working in small- to medium-sized ...
Saida, farmer in Tunisia
This article from the International Labour Organization (ILO) tells the story of Saida Zouaoui, a farmer from Teburnuk in Tunisia. She helped in the rebuilding of a local dam, enabling her village to store enough water for drinking and growing ...
Indigenous Voices on Water
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) recently launched a feature on their Space4Water Portal called Indigenous Voices. Indigenous communities' cultural heritage and knowledge about natural resources, including water, urgently needs to be considered and protected. This feature ...
UN WWDR 2023 report cover
The new edition of the UN World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) 2023, Partnerships and Cooperation for Water, will be launched on World Water Day, 22 March. At current rates of progress, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – water and ...
Kids jumping in joy in front of a school toilet.
One of the main outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, 22-24 March, is the Water Action Agenda. The Agenda is the collection of all voluntary commitments to accelerate progress in the second halves of both the Water Action Decade ...
Andrés Cardona taking photo in Colombia, river in the background with boat.
Water Science Policy, under the patronage of UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Program, is running a photo story competition ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference (22-24 March). In the words of the organizers: “A picture tells a thousand words. Across ...
Two young women in front of a toilet
The Toilet Board Coalition (TBC) believes the fastest way to solve the sanitation crisis is to turn it into an economic opportunity, led by local-market entrepreneurs, guided by multinational corporation mentors. Through its world-renowned Accelerator, the TBC provides business model ...
Boy drinking water using his hands
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Bank, launch the report State of the world's drinking water: An urgent call to action to accelerate progress on ensuring safe drinking water for all ...
Women washing their hands
Despite efforts to promote hand hygiene, the rates of access to hand hygiene facilities remain stubbornly low. If current rates of progress continue, by the end of the SDG era in 2030, 1.9 billion people will still lack facilities to ...
Girl washing her hands
The UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership (SWA) has released the findings of a global study on external perceptions of water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as barriers to driving political prioritization and investment. Conducted by Browning Environmental ...
justice begins here text
The UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All partnership (SWA) has launched an international campaign which calls for just and equitable delivery of water and sanitation services. The #JusticeBeginsHere campaign invites individuals and organizations from all sectors to tackle the structural ...
Rural street view in flooded area
A report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) provides the first overview of the state of global water resources in order to assess the effects of climate, environmental and societal change on the Earth’s water resources. This flagship publication gives ...