Marie, 7, draws water from a standpipe built with the support of UNICEF in the Buhene district of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. The district was the most affected by the volcanic eruption of May, 2021; almost half of the neighborhood was destroyed.
PHOTO:Gwenn Dubourthoumieu/UNICEF
Accelerating Change
World Water Day 2023 is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.
Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace.
In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030.
Right now, we are seriously off-track.
Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled.
There is an urgent need to accelerate change – to go beyond ‘business as usual.’
The latest data show that governments must work on average four times faster to meet SDG 6 on time, but this is not a situation that any single actor or group can solve.
Water affects everyone, so we need everyone to take action.
The global campaign Be the change encourages people to take action in their lives to change how they use, consume and manage water. These promises from individuals and communities will contribute to the Water Action Agenda alongside larger commitments from governments, companies, organizations, institutions, and coalitions.
Choose your action
Did you know?
- 1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene. (WHO 2022)
- Today, 1 in 4 people – 2 billion people worldwide – lack safe drinking water. (WHO/UNICEF 2021)
- Almost half of the global population – 3.6 billion people – lack safe sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF 2021)
- Globally, 44 per cent of household wastewater is not safely treated. (UN-Water 2021)
- Global water demand (in water withdrawals) is projected to increase by 55 per cent by 2050. (OECD 2012)
Plant The Seed - Unpack Your Thinking
Beauty and Truth
Beauty and Truth
A routine for exploring the complex interaction between beauty and truth.
- Watch the video of the World Water Day 2023 animation starring the hummingbird!
- Can you find beauty in this story?
- Can you find truth in this story?
- How might beauty reveal truth?
- How might beauty conceal truth?
The star of the two-minute animated film for #WorldWaterDay 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 the fire out one drop at a time. The other animals laugh, but she replies, “I’m doing what I can.”
The short film tells the story of the global water and sanitation crisis as if the world were a community of just 100 people.
In that scenario, 25 people would have to collect unsafe water from a stream or pond, often far away, or queue for hours and pay a high price to a vendor. 22 people would either have no choice but to go to the toilet in the streets, bushes or fields, or to use unhygienic and dysfunctional latrines.
Half the local wetlands would have disappeared in recent decades and nearby agriculture and industry would use up 80 per cent of all the available water.
In the face of this global water and sanitation crisis, the hummingbird’s message is to do something, however small. And when more and more of us are like the hummingbird, our individual actions amount to something much bigger, helping to accelerate change.
Modelled Thinking
Here is my Beauty is Truth thinking – Bronwyn Joyce The Global Write Creator
Let's Write
Prompt 1
100 Word Challenge
Look closely! Use the picture and write a piece in just 100 words. You can write a story, a description or even a persuasive piece. Upload your writing to The Global Write Wakelet Gallery. Be Creative!
Prompt 2
HELP CREATE A GLOBAL BOUQUET OF HUMMINGBIRDS
Our second prompt promotes the opportunity to join with worldwater.org as they share that you and your class can now participate in the creation of a bouquet of hummingbirds, a colourful installation of origami birds created by students around the world.
The global virtual installation aims to deepen the understanding on water challenges we are facing, and that we all – by taking small actions – can play our part to help solving them.
Here are the instructions below.
Prompt 3
Worldwaterday.org are conducting a photo contest this year. Our final prompt is not to join the contest but to explore the amazing water photos that have been taken all over the world. Your prompt is to watch the promotion video and explore the photos
Create your own promotional video titled ‘Accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis’. Use https://animoto.com/ to create your video and make sure you share it with us on The Global Write Wakelet Gallery.
Wakelet Gallery
Share your stories, thinking and posters with us at our Global Write Wakelet Gallery
World Water and the Sustainable Goals
