World Water Day or the "World Day for Water" occurs each year on March 22, as designated by United Nations General Assembly resolution. This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 2002 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Observance was expected to begin in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since.
The UN invited its member nations to devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. With the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) coordinating, World Water Day 2005 also marked the start of the second 'UN International Decade for Action for Water', also referred to as the Water for Life Decade 2005-2015.
In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Water Day as a time to focus public attention the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Water Day. Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water.