Sections:
World Water Week: Pushing for progress on water
13 August 2007
This week, staff from DFID will team up with people in the water and
sanitation sector for
World
Water Week in Stockholm.
The event, through seminars and workshops, aims to nurture a better
understanding of water and sanitation issues, to get people working together,
thinking about new ways of doings things and overcoming the challenges we face.
Tackling the world water crisis
Minister for Trade and Development, Gareth Thomas, said:
"The world faces a water crisis. In Africa, unsafe water claims the lives of far
too many people a day. Women and children travel on average four miles a day to
fetch and carry water which keeps children out of school and mothers out of
work, locking them into poverty.
"Everyone has the right to water and the international community must do all it
can to help. The UK is committed to doubling and doubling again our spending on
water and sanitation in Africa. We need to see, and continue to push for, that
commitment from other donors."
Pushing for progress on water
At the event, DFID will catch up on the latest thinking to develop our own agenda and advocate for change. We will continue to push for:
- DFID's global call to action - working with the international community to invest more in water and sanitation.
- Sanitation - working closely with international partners to help meet one of the most off-track of the MDG targets.
- Water resources - fighting poverty and coping with climate change are essential to managing resources effectively.
Follow this link to read more about World Water Week, including more on DFID's key messages and our daily diary from Stockholm.
Links
- DFID's global call to action on water and sanitation
(610 kb)
- DFID’s Water Supply, Water Resources and Sanitation Policy Update
- DFID's partnership with WaterAid