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What is World Water Day?
World Water Day is observed every March 22, designated by the UN General Assembly in 1992 and held annually since 1993. Coordinated by UN-Water, it is the UN's flagship campaign for freshwater issues and accompanies the release of the annual UN World Water Development Report.
Why March 22?
World Water Day was proposed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit) in June 1992, and formally established by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/47/193 on December 22, 1992. The resolution set March 22 as the annual date, beginning in 1993. There is no specific historical anniversary linked to March 22 — it was chosen as a consistent annual focal point.
Upcoming dates
World Water Day falls on March 22 every year. The next five occurrences:
| Year | Date | Day of week |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | March 22, 2027 | Monday |
| 2028 | March 22, 2028 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | March 22, 2029 | Thursday |
| 2030 | March 22, 2030 | Friday |
| 2031 | March 22, 2031 | Saturday |
Global water and sanitation gap
From the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2023 update:
- 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water at home.
- 3.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services.
- 2 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home.
- 703 million people still lack even a basic drinking-water service.
- Achieving universal access to safely managed water and sanitation by 2030 would require the world to quadruple the current rate of progress.
Recent themes
| Year | Theme |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Water for Peace |
| 2023 | Accelerating Change (linked to UN 2023 Water Conference) |
| 2022 | Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible |
| 2021 | Valuing Water |
| 2020 | Water and Climate Change |
Sources & references
- worldwaterday.org — UN-Water's official campaign site.
- UN-Water — the lead coordinating body.
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) — source of the global water and sanitation figures above.
- UN World Water Development Report — published annually around World Water Day.
FAQs
March 22 was designated by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/47/193, adopted on December 22, 1992. The resolution followed the Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held earlier that year. The first World Water Day was observed on March 22, 1993. The date itself has no specific historical anniversary — it was chosen to give the campaign a consistent annual focal point.
World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water, the United Nations' inter-agency mechanism for water and sanitation. The campaign is supported by the WHO, UNICEF, FAO and UNESCO, all of which have major water-related programmes.
UN-Water sets a new theme each year, often tied to a specific SDG 6 target. The 2024 theme was Water for Peace. The 2023 theme was Accelerating Change (linked to the UN 2023 Water Conference). The 2022 theme was Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible. The current theme is published at worldwaterday.org.
According to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2023): 2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation, and 2 billion lack basic hygiene services at home. SDG 6 targets universal access to safely managed water and sanitation by 2030, but the world is significantly off track.
No. World Water Day (March 22) focuses on freshwater and water resources broadly. World Toilet Day (November 19) is a separate UN observance focused on sanitation. Both are coordinated by UN-Water and contribute to SDG 6.
No. World Water Day is a UN observance, not a public holiday. Schools, businesses and government offices remain open. The annual UN World Water Development Report is traditionally released in conjunction with World Water Day.