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MICHEL JARRAUD, CHAIR OF UN-WATER AND SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO)
Water is a shared resource on which life, the environment and most human activities depend.
Our planet has some 276 transboundary basins and as many transboundary aquifers, and 148 countries
share at least one basin with others. In many areas, water withdrawals are already exceeding the recharge
capacity of the environment, and water availability is decreasing. Up to 90 per cent of wastewater in
developing countries flows untreated into the environment, threatening health, food security, and access to
safe drinking and bathing water.
In recent decades, competition for water has increased sharply due to growing demands to satisfy
the needs of a growing population, while the resource appears to be scarcer in many areas. The global
population is expected to grow from a little over 7 billion today to 8 billion by 2025, with water
withdrawals increasing by half in developing countries and by 18 per cent in developed countries. At the
same time, increasing variability in precipitation and an expected increase in droughts mean that, by the
2070s, the number of people affected by drought is expected to rise from 28 million to 44 million.
Water has rarely been the root of conflicts, but it can be an exacerbating factor where social and political
tensions already exist. The interests of farmers, domestic users, hydropower generators, recreational users and
ecosystems are often at odds regarding water, and international boundaries make the situation even more complex.
But while transboundary cooperation has often been difficult, experience has shown that sharing a
resource as precious as water can be a catalyst for cooperation rather than conflicts. Across the world,
hundreds of treaties have been signed between riparian states and the institutions created to manage and
use transboundary waters in an equitable and sustainable manner. These agreements have often brought
concrete social, economic and political benefits to countries and their populations.
By declaring 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation, the United Nations General Assembly
recognizes the broad benefits of cooperation in the water domain for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals. That cooperation also plays an important role in contributing to the realisation of the
human right to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for all.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has partnered with Tudor Rose to
publish Free Flow, bringing together a broad range of water professionals and stakeholders to share their
knowledge and experiences. The chapters in this book reflect the progress and challenges encountered in
the fields of water management and cooperation around the world. I am confident that they will add to
the growing body of evidence on the benefits of water cooperation and provide valuable insight into the
experiences and practices that can make it a reality.
Michel Jarraud
Chair of UN-Water
Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Preface