Editorial Klaus Toepfer, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UNEP World Environment Day Margot Wallström, EU Commissioner for the Environment Water is life HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Water, describes how the International Year of Freshwater provides an opportunity for governments and individuals to take stock of what they can do to resolve the global water crisis The water century Ryutaro Hashimoto, Chairman, National Japanese Steering Committee, World Water Forum, says that resolving water issues will be the paramount challenge of the 21st century, and describes the work of this year’s 3rd World Water Forum in addressing them Taking it at the flood Wang Shucheng, Minister of Water Resources, People’s Republic of China, describes a change in philosophy that has brought new strategies for flood control and disaster mitigation in China Renewing the commitment Paula J. Dobriansky, United States Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, outlines the international strategy for meeting the world’s water needs and describes what the United States of America is doing to implement it Waterless cities Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations; Executive Director, UN-HABITAT, shows that the urban water and sanitation crisis is much worse than official statistics suggest, and outlines action to meet key global goals Keeping pollution at bay Wayne Gilchrest, Chairman, Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, US House of Representatives, describes how cutting freshwater pollution can preserve wetlands and restore valuable marine ecosystems

People At a glance: The world’s water crisis Changing agenda Richard Jolly, Chair, WSSCC, describes old fallacies and new directions for water, sanitation and hygiene Nor any drop to drink Ashok Khosla, President, Development Alternatives, says that water scarcity is damaging health, constraining agriculture and industry and becoming a potent source of conflict Bridging troubled waters Pekka Haavisto, Chairman, UNEP’s Desk Study on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, describes how environmental cooperation, particularly over shared water resources, could aid the Israeli-Palestinian peace process Books & products Getting there Ravi Narayanan, Director, WaterAid, describes the hurdles in the way of achieving the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation and outlines strategies to overcome them Sinking fast Jonathan Loh, Editor, WWF’s Living Planet Report; Lisa Hadeed, Communications Manager, WWF International, detail the rapid loss of species in freshwaters, the worst affected habitat on Earth Waste not Polly Ghazi, Senior Correspondent, Green Futures, describes the potential for using water more efficiently to meet looming shortages Water – the poor’s priority Shabana Azmi, actor, talks to Darryl D’Monte Atomic power Marina Mansilla Hermann, Student of Environmental Science, Argentina