The 2006 Human Development Report
Throughout history water has confronted humanity with some of its
greatest challenges. Water is a source of life and a natural
resource that sustains our environments and supports livelihoods –
but it is also a source of risk and vulnerability. In the early 21st
Century, prospects for human development are threatened by a
deepening global water crisis. Debunking the myth that the crisis is
the result of scarcity, this report argues poverty, power and
inequality are at the heart of the problem.
In a world of unprecedented wealth, almost 2 million children die
each year for want of a glass of clean water and adequate
sanitation. Millions of women and young girls are forced to spend
hours collecting and carrying water, restricting their opportunities
and their choices. And water-borne infectious diseases are holding
back poverty reduction and economic growth in some of the world’s
poorest countries.
Beyond the household, competition for water as a productive
resource is intensifying. Symptoms of that competition include the
collapse of water-based ecological systems, declining river flows
and large-scale groundwater depletion. Conflicts over water are
intensifying within countries, with the rural poor losing out. The
potential for tensions between countries is also growing, though
there are large potential human development gains from increased
cooperation.
The Human Development Report continues to frame debates on some
of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. Human Development
Report 2006:
• Investigates the underlying causes and consequences of a crisis
that leaves 1.2 billion people without access to safe water and 2.6
billion without access to sanitation • Argues for a concerted
drive to achieve water and sanitation for all through national
strategies and a global plan of action • Examines the social and
economic forces that are driving water shortages and marginalizing
the poor in agriculture • Looks at the scope for international
cooperation to resolve cross-border tensions in water
management • Includes special contributions from Gordon Brown and
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Lula, President Carter, and the UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
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