WSSCC Executive Director, Mr. Gourisankar Ghosh, participated in a dialogue organized jointly by the United Nations Departments of Economic and Social Affairs and Public Information on Thursday, 12 December to launch the International Year on Freshwater 2003. The event took place in Conference Room 4 at UN Headquarters in New York.

Moderated by Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, the dialogue on "The Challenges of Freshwater" was opened by Ms. Louise Freschette, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and H.E. Mr. Talbak Mazarov, Foreign Minister of Tajikistan. Mr. Ghosh then joined Mr. Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Milos Alcalay (Venezuela), Chair of the Group of 77 and China, H.E. Ambassador June Clarke (Barbados), Vice-President of the UN General Assembly, in a lively debate with the audience on the key issues affecting freshwater in the 21st century.

CHILDREN AND WASH

Preceding the official launch was another event that the WSSCC will hold on the same day (from 9:00 am-10:00 am) under the banner of its WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) campaign, at the Ford Foundation at 320 East 43rd Street, New York. Mr. Ghosh joined Mrs. Annan who presented her new book entitled: "Tip and Top - the Adventures of Two Water Drops" and discussed the WASH messages with children from the UN International School. In response to Mr. Ghosh's invitation, Mrs. Annan kindly accepted to be the WASH Ambassador for special events. "Tip and Top" is published by the American Forum for Global Education. The UNIS Middle School Choir also sang water songs at the event.

Mrs. Annan was a featured speaker at the launch of the WSSCC's own publication "WASH: It's the Big Issue" during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg last September. Proceeds from the sales of her book will benefit the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The WASH campaign promotes better awareness among children and adults of safe water, improved sanitation and proper hygiene. About one-sixth of the world's population - some 1.1 billion people - have no access to safe water and double that number, 2.4 billion, are without adequate sanitation.

For more information or to attend the event please contact Mrs. Eirah Gorre-Dale, WSSCC, c/o UN DESA, Tel. (917) 367-2420 or Cellphone:+1(914) 309-5491; Fax:+1 (917) 367-3391; E-mail: gorre-dale@un.org