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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 196 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 196

          Supporting the goals and ideals of World Water Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2007

  Mr. Blumenauer (for himself and Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
          Supporting the goals and ideals of World Water Day.

Whereas the global celebration of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out 
        of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 
        Rio de Janeiro;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly, via resolution, designated March 22 
        of each year as World Water Day;
Whereas although water is the most widely occurring substance on earth, only 
        2.53 percent of all water is freshwater and the remainder is salt water;
Whereas freshwater resources are further impaired by various forms of 
        industrial, chemical, human, and agricultural pollution;
Whereas climate change will increasingly pose a challenge for ensuring the 
        availability of sufficient water supplies at the appropriate times;
Whereas approximately one in six people in the world lack access to safe 
        drinking water and approximately two in every five people lack access to 
        basic sanitation services;
Whereas water-related diseases are among the most common causes of illness and 
        death, afflicting primarily the poor and very poor in developing 
        countries;
Whereas up to five million people die each year from preventable water and 
        sanitation related diseases, including one out of every five children in 
        the poorest countries;
Whereas every $1 invested in safe drinking water and sanitation yields an 
        economic return of between $3 and $34, depending on the region;
Whereas increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation advances efforts 
        towards other United States development objectives including fighting 
        poverty and hunger, promoting primary education and gender equality, 
        reducing child mortality, promoting environmental stability, improving 
        the lives of slum dwellers, and strengthening national security;
Whereas the participants in the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in 
        Johannesburg, including the United States, agreed to the Plan of 
        Implementation which included an agreement to work to reduce by one-half 
        from the baseline year 1990 ``the proportion of people who are unable to 
        reach or to afford safe drinking water,'' and ``the proportion of people 
        without access to basic sanitation'' by 2015; and
Whereas Congress passed and the President signed into law the ``Senator Paul 
        Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005'' (Public Law 109-121) which was 
        intended to ``elevate the role of water and sanitation policy in the 
        development of U.S. foreign policy and improve the effectiveness of U.S. 
        official programs'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of World Water Day;
            (2) recognizes the importance of increasing access to safe 
        drinking water and sanitation, as well as the conservation and 
        sustainable management of water resources, to human health and 
        quality of life across the globe;
            (3) urges an increased effort and the investment of greater 
        resources by the Department of State, the United States Agency 
        for International Development, and all relevant Federal 
        departments and agencies towards providing sustainable and 
        equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation for the 
        poor and very poor; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        World Water Day with appropriate recognition, ceremonies, 
        activities, and programs to demonstrate the importance of water 
        to humanity.
                                 <all>
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