Memo: World Water Day, 22 March – Water is Life

The international observance of 22 March as World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United National Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. This background note details some of the policies and projects underway in the European Commission to address issues related to water management and supply, both within the EU and abroad. The United Nations were to announce 2005 to 2015 the 'Decade of Water' in order to support the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals and the European Union planned to use this decade to achieve good water status for all European waters.