Its resources consist largely of contributions mobilized under periodic replenishments. The Initiative follows the growing international concerns on freshwater resources - as expressed at the 2nd World Water Forum last March. Forum participants and ministers from 132 countries called for actions to avert the world water crisis. Communities around the world already face serious shortages of fresh water, and the number is expected to rise to thirty percent of the world's population by 2025. It also comes at a time when IUCN's 2000 Red List of Threatened Species signals an extremely serious deterioration in river-dwelling species.
Further research is likely to reveal an even deeper worldwide crisis in freshwater biodiversity.