Reaffirming the importance of the International Year of Fresh Water, this international water forum brought together more than 500 participants from 53 countries to increase public awareness of issues relating to freshwater from 29 August – 1 September 2003 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Under the theme of “Water, Environment and Security,” participants met in plenary sessions and working groups to discuss: water and interstate cooperation; water, health and sanitation; water conservation and productivity in agriculture; and information sharing for strengthening water partnership. During the high level ministerial segment, the Dushanbe Water Appeal was drafted, reiterating the importance of freshwater resources and calls on the United Nations, governments, organizations and stakeholders to commit themselves more fully to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the targets agreed upon in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The Appeal also invites the United Nations to declare 2005-2015 the International Decade of ‘Water for Life’. For more information visit: http://www.freshwaterforum.org/index-eng.htm