World Water Day 2008
World Water Day (WWD) 2008, in conjunction with the International Year of Sanitation, will focus on the theme Sanitation matters! . The theme highlights the increasing importance of sanitation in addressing issues on health, environment, and economic and social development.
The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) will jointly act as the lead agencies for a central celebration of World Water Day 2008 on 20 March 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland, on behalf of all the UN agencies and members of UN-Water.
The provision of sanitation is a key development intervention. Without it, preventable diseases can dominate a life with less dignity. By having access to sanitation, health improves and economic productivity increases.
WHO, together with UNICEF and WSSCC under the aegis of UN-Water, developed an Advocacy Guide for World Water Day 2008. This advocacy guide outlines the steps for groups or interested individuals at the country level to participate in the campaign to improve sanitation conditions.
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World Water Day 2008 programme
pdf, 38kb -
Advocacy Guide for celebrating World Water Day 2008
pdf, 2.14Mb - Welcoming remarks by Mr Sergei A. Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva
- Speech by Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, to commemorate World Water Day
- Speech by HRH Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
- Speech by Philip D. O’Brien, Regional Director for the UNICEF Regional Office for Geneva
- Speech by Jon Lane, Executive Director, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
- Speech by Dr Beate Elsa Wilhelm, SDC Assistant Director-General
- Press release: Poor sanitation threatens public health (Arabic, English, French and Spanish)