Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of World Water Day

联合国教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱在世界水日的致辞

The question of drinking water resources is one of the major issues of our century. Its implications are manifold: humanitarian, ecological and geopolitical. One of the possible answers can certainly be found in so-called "nature-based solutions": solutions that are inspired by the natural water cycle and that encourage the protection and restoration of biospheres.

饮用水资源是我们这个世纪的一个重大关切。它的影响是方方面面的：人道主义、生态环保、地缘政治等等。可能的解决办法，一定蕴藏在被称为“以自然为本的方案”之中，即：以水的自然循环为灵感源泉，推动生态圈保护和修复。

In order to highlight the very promising potential of this type of sustainable solution, this year on World Water Day, the United Nations will focus on the theme: "Nature for Water".

为彰显这种可持续解决方案的巨大潜力，联合国将今年世界水日的主题定为“用大自然战胜水资源挑战”。

The extent of the challenges that face us can be illustrated by a few figures.

几组数据可以说明我们面临着怎样的挑战。

According to the latest United Nations world water development report, 3.6 billion people around the world, which is about half of the world's population, live in potentially water-scarce areas during at least one month a year. This figure could rise to more than 5 billion in 2050.

据最新一份《联合国世界水资源开发报告》，全世界有 36 亿人——约占世界人口的一半——生活在1年中至少有1个月可能缺水的地区。到2050年，这个数字可能超过50亿。

Over the same period, the global demand for water, currently estimated at around 4,600 km3 per year could reach 5,5003 or 6,000 km3 per year. At 4,600 km3 per year, current global usage of freshwater is already close to the maximum threshold of sustainability and this fragile balance in fact masks the major local and regional disparities.

在同一时期，全球水需求量可能从当前的约每年 4600 立方千米增长到每年5500或6000立方千米。目前每年4600立方千米的全球取用量，已经接近可持续性的上限，而这一脆弱的平衡还掩盖着不同地域间的巨大差异。

One alarming example is that of Cape Town, South Africa, which is poised to become the first major city in the world to run out of drinking water. "Day zero" is the name given to 12 April 2018, when Cape Town's water reserves are expected to be at just 13% of their usual level.

有一个例子为我们敲响了警钟：南非的开普敦市即将成为世界上首个严重缺乏饮用水的大型城市。人们把今年4月12日称为“归零日”， 因为届时开普敦市的蓄水量将只及通常水平的13%。

The reasons for this global shortage are well known: freshwater resources are continuously under the combined pressures of global population growth, climate change, the exponential increase in consumption and the spread of lifestyles that squander resources. One figure illustrates this wastage: 80% of wastewater returns to the ecosystem without being treated. These developments are leading to a degradation of ecosystems that further accentuates ecological imbalances and water scarcity.

世界水资源匮乏的原因众所周知：淡水资源持续承受着世界人口增长、气候变化、消费急剧增长以及浪费资源的生活方式普遍化等多重压力。有一个数据可以反映这种浪费：80%的废水未经处理就排入生态系统。这些趋势导致生态系统退化，进一步加剧生态不平衡和水资源匮乏。

It is therefore urgent for solutions to be found to protect Earth's natural capital. Solutions that protect, manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems, and that respond to human and ecological challenges in an effective and sustainable manner, improving the well-being of individuals and preserving biodiversity, must be promoted. Planning new forests, reconnecting rivers to flood plains and restoring wetlands are solutions that will, among other things, address contemporary water management challenges, particularly with a view to developing sustainable agriculture and building the cities of tomorrow.

因此，当务之急是找到能够保护这种地球自然财富的解决方案。应当倡导保护、管理和恢复自然的或经改造的生态系统的解决方案，以高效和可持续的方式应对人类与环境的挑战，同时改善人类福祉、保护生物多样性。而植树造林、引河至洪泛平原、湿地恢复等措施，将有助于解决当前面临的水管理挑战，向发展可持续农业、建设明日城市迈进。

As the United Nations launches the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development", UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to support governments in their transition to green and circular economies and in their efforts to implement better-integrated water policies. All these efforts must contribute to the achievement of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where the crucial issue of water goes hand-in-hand with equally important issues: the eradication of poverty; healthcare; economic growth; constructing sustainable cities; developing responsible consumption and production patterns; and ultimately, peace.

在联合国发起“水十年”行动之际，教科文组织再次承诺，支持各国政府向绿色、循环经济转型，并鼓励各国推出更加完善的综合性水政策。这些努力将有助于实现《联合国2030年可持续发展议程》。在这一议程中，至关重要的水问题与其他同样重要的议题息息相关：消除贫困、卫生保健、经济增长、建设可持续城市、采用负责任的消费和生产方式，以及建设和平。