MESSAGE FROM MR. KOÏCHIRO MATSUURA, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF UNESCO, ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD WATER DAY 2006

In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as World Water Day in worldwide celebration of this vital resource. The selected theme of World Water Day 2006 is 'Water and Culture'. This theme is of particular significance for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will lead the activities surrounding this year's celebration.

The theme of 'Water and Culture' resonates strongly with UNESCO's vision of water management and governance. To achieve sustainable solutions that contribute to equity, peace and development, water management and governance need to take proper account of cultural and biological diversity. For this reason, UNESCO believes that the cultural dimension of water deserves further exploration so that its many ramifications may become better understood.

In modern times, approaches to water resource management have tended to be overwhelmingly technology-driven in their attempt to solve the world's urgent water problems. Today, according to the 2nd World Water Development Report, 1.1 billion people are without safe drinking water and 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation. Water-related extreme events, such as floods and droughts, kill more people than any other natural disaster, and water-borne diseases continue to cause the death of thousands of children every day. Technology alone, however, will not lead us to viable solutions.

While science and technology are vital for understanding the water cycle and making use of it, they developed in adaptation to specific environmental contexts and in response to people's needs and ambitions, which are shaped by social and cultural factors. Water, in fact, has powerful cultural functions. As water touches every aspect of human existence, each community has created social structures, rules and practices for water use, based on its vision of the world and its code of ethics. As a result, water is rich in cultural meanings and social significance. Managing water is as much cultural as technical, reflecting how peoples and communities relate themselves to nature. From prehistoric times until today, humanity's dealings with water have greatly influenced the sustainability of societies.

Because of its growth and development, the human population increasingly affects the hydrological cycle, altering its quality and distribution. But the amount of freshwater on Earth, to be shared among all forms of life, remains the same. This situation imposes on humankind a responsibility to develop ethically sound systems of water governance.

To this end, we must better understand the complex interactions between societies, water and the environment. Those interactions are rooted in social and cultural processes; indeed, water management itself needs to be understood as a cultural process. This perspective underpins and informs a number of UNESCO's major initiatives and priorities, notably those aiming to increase knowledge about water and related ecosystems, to promote cultural diversity and recognition of the value of the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity, to foster the ethics of science and technology, and to help prevent and solve water conflicts.

There is growing recognition that, to understand and conserve natural resources like water, it is necessary to understand the human cultures that shape and interact with natural systems. In this regard, the need to recognize and value traditional knowledge is gaining ground. By adopting the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001), the international community demonstrated its commitment to recognize the "contribution of traditional knowledge, particularly with regard to environmental protection and the management of natural resources, and fostering synergies between modern science and local knowledge" (Action Plan no.14 of the Declaration).

Traditional knowledge alerts us to the fact that water is not merely a commodity. Since the dawn of humanity, water has inspired us, giving life spiritually, materially, intellectually and emotionally. Sharing and applying the rich contents of our knowledge systems, including those of traditional and indigenous societies, as well as lessons learned from our historical interactions with water, may greatly contribute to finding solutions for today's water challenges.

The nexus between culture and nature is the avenue for understanding resilience, creativity and adaptability in both social and ecological systems. In this perspective, sustainable water use and, hence, a sustainable future depend on the harmonious relationship between water and culture. Consequently, it is vital that water management and governance take cultural traditions, indigenous practices and societal values into serious account.

Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura