From UNDP
Human Development Report 2006
Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis
Contents:
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 former UN Secretary General,
Kofi Annan.
Language editions:
English
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| Arabic
| Chinese
| Russian
| Portuguese
| Italian
| Catalan
The national and regional reports
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Background Papers:
Thematic Papers
Issue Notes
Additional Papers
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