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Announcement: World Water Day — March 22, 2016
Weekly / March 18, 2016 / 65(10);269
World Water Day 2016, sponsored by the United Nations, is focused on water and jobs. Approximately half of workers around the world (1.5 billion persons) have jobs in water-related industries (1). Many industries rely on water to perform jobs, such as fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, and food service. Societies and economies depend on the men and women who work to keep the world’s drinking water safe.
Climate change affects the economies and infrastructure that provide access to safe drinking water around the world. The World Health Organization estimates that during 2030–2050, an additional 250,000 persons will die each year as a result of climate change (2). Diarrheal diseases from contaminated water and lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene will be a major cause of these additional deaths (3). Now is the time to address these challenges and commit to the responsible management of water resources to ensure sustainable development in the present and for generations to come.
Information is available about World Water Day, including ideas on how to get involved (http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday). Information on CDC’s efforts to ensure global access to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene is also available (http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global).
References
- United Nations. World Water Day. New York, NY: United Nations; 2016. http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday
- World Health Organization. Economic, social and environmental context of health [Chapter 2]. In: Health in 2015: from MDGs (millennium development goals) to SDGs (sustainable development goals). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2015. http://www.who.int/gho/publications/mdgs-sdgs/MDGs-SDGs2015_chapter2.pdf
- World Health Organization. Infectious diseases [Chapter 5]. In: Health in 2015: from MDGs (millennium development goals) to SDGs (sustainable development goals). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2015. http://www.who.int/gho/publications/mdgs-sdgs/MDGs-SDGs2015_chapter5.pdf?ua=1
Suggested citation for this article: Announcement. World Water Day — March 22, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:269. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6510a5.
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