Freshwater

The world needs to improve its stewardship of water resources. We need much more efficient irrigation, far less toxic agriculture and industry, and new investments in water infrastructure and services. And we need to free women and girls from the daily burden of walking great distances in search of water -- time and effort that could be better spent on education and building better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. The International Year of Freshwater should mobilize the world behind these goals by raising awareness, by generating new ideas and strategies and by promoting participation, partnerships and peaceful dialogue. Let us pool our efforts; let us use the knowledge and technology at our disposal; and let us do our utmost to protect the world's precious freshwater resources -- our lifeline for survival and sustainable development in the twenty-first century.-- Kofi Anan (2002)

At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders agreed to reduce by half, by the year 2015, the proportion of people who are unable to reach, or to afford, safe drinking water.

This topic and its components address the various ways the oceans can be utlized to serve as a source for freshwater for drinking and agriculture. Many parts of the world already have a long history of extracting freshwater from the sea.