The theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’.
When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries.
More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water.
As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource.
Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.
Creating a positive ripple effect
When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.
We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life.
This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.
Play your part!
Be part of the global campaign on ‘Water for Peace’. Everyone is needed– from individuals and families to companies and governments – to do what they can to cooperate on water and pave the way for a more harmonious society. Download resources to get involved this World Water Day and find out more about the connection between water and peace.
If your school is in the Hamilton, Waipa and/or Waitomo districts, particpate in the Smart Water Challenge 2024.
Key messages
- Water can create peace or spark conflict – when water is scarce or polluted, or when people struggle for access, tensions can rise. By cooperating on water, we can balance everyone’s water needs and help stabilize the world.
- Prosperity and peace rely on water – as nations manage climate change, mass migration and political unrest, they must put water cooperation at the heart of their plans.
- Water can lead us out of crisis – we can foster harmony between communities and countries by uniting around the fair and sustainable use of water – from United Nations conventions at the international level, to actions at the local level.
For more information: www.un.org/en/observances/water-day
Related content
The Hub has extensive resources on water and freshwater, use these curations to explore further:
- Rivers and Us – introduction – exploring how people use water, the effects on water quality and investigation and data collection to inform action.
- Tōku awa koiora – introduction – exploring the restoration of the Waikato River.
- Repo (wetlands) – a context for learning – exploring ecological and cultural values and taking action to understand, protect or restore local repo.
- Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo – he kohinga rauemi pāhekoheko a Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo hei āwhina i ngā kaiako ki te whakatītina i ngā ākonga kia tū hei kaitiaki mō ngā repo. E whai ana hoki kia tū tiketike mai te mātauranga Māori, mā roto i ngā mahi whakaora taiao.
- Freshwater resources – planning pathways – help for teachers, based on the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the pressures, state and impacts of human activities on the freshwater environment in Our freshwater 2023.
- New Zealand’s freshwater fish – introduction – exploring our unique native fish, their habitats and suggestions on what we can do to help conserve this taonga (resources in te reo Māori and English).
- Lakes380 – Our lakes’ health: past, present, future – find out about the largest scientific study ever undertaken of lakes in Aotearoa.
- Smart Water – a context for learning is a suite of resources that foster a greater understanding and appreciation of water from source to tap.
For more resources, browse the wide range of content under our water or freshwater topics, remember you can use the filters.
