World Water Day has been celebrated every March 22nd since 1993 to raise awareness among governments, non-governmental organizations, associations and public opinion on the importance of fresh water and how to promote its sustainable management.
This anniversary was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations following the directives included in Agenda 21, a programmatic document that illustrates the concrete actions to be taken globally for sustainable development in the 21st century and which was approved by 183 countries during the Rio de Janeiro UN conference in 1992.
The themes to which the day is dedicated vary every year, addressing the problem of the water crisis from different angles such as, for example, population access to drinking water, drought, flood prevention, reducing water waste, correct wastewater management and proper conservation of water resources.
In 2021 the theme of World Water Day was the "Valuing water", how precious it is for our well-being, our health and our development. In 2022, however, the day was dedicated to the theme "Groundwater: making the invisible visible"; an area, that of groundwater, which, although not visible, has an important impact on our lives.
In 2023, the focus was on the theme "Accelerate change to solve the water and sanitation crisis" in order to achieve sustainable development goal n. 6 of the 2030 Agenda, according to which water and sanitation for all must be guaranteed by 2030.
Related topics will also be addressed, such as the spread of microplastics in water, the importance of reducing water waste and how to adopt behaviors aimed at combating the climate crisis.
On the occasion of the 2023 United Nations Water Conference on the resolution of the water and sanitation crisis, the "Water Action Agenda" will also be launched, a document that collects the commitments and actions put in place by all sectors of society to accelerate the achievement of goal n. 6 of the 2030 Agenda.