Human Development Report 2006 Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis

This "2006 Human Development Report" focuses on water and human development. Water is central to the realization of human potential. It is a source of life for people and the planet. Clean water and sanitation have profound bearing on health and human dignity. With competition for water intensifying, there is a danger that poor and vulnerable communities will become increasingly marginalized. The twin challenges facing governments and donors are: to accelerate progress towards universal access to water and sanitation; and to ensure that water management policies strengthen the rights of poor households to water.