The health and prosperity of people and the planet depend on the stability of the global water cycle. Climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable management and pollution are impacting water resources worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 1 in 4 people in the world still lack access to safely managed drinking water. Almost half of the world’s population lacks access to safely managed sanitation.

As water scarcity intensifies, increased competition for dwindling freshwater resources threatens stability between and within nations through conflict, displacement, or migration. Water is also too often used as a weapon of war.

There can be no peace without universal access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation for all.

This year's global theme for World Water Day focuses on using "water for peace". Water management and transboundary water cooperation are effective tools for preventing conflicts and sustaining peace. The European Union is working to improve access to water and/or sanitation for 70 million individuals by 2030. It is also working to protect, preserve and restore water-related ecosystems. (More on ec.europa.eu)