WMO Secretary-General's Statement for World Meteorological Day 2020
Fresh water is vital for life. On average, a human being cannot survive more than three days without it. Water is essential for the production of our food, virtually all of our goods and services and for the environment.
The world now faces increasing challenges posed by water stress, floods and droughts and lack of access to clean supplies. There is an urgent need to improve forecasting, monitoring and management of water supplies and to tackle the problem of too much, too little or too polluted water.
World Meteorological Day and World Water Day 2020 therefore share the theme, Climate and Water. This focuses on managing climate and water in a more coordinated and sustainable manner because they are inextricably linked. Both lie at the heart of global goals on sustainable development, climate change and disaster risk reduction.
Hand in hand with UN Water and other key United Nations partners, WMO will work towards enhanced implementation and acceleration of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation.
Water is one of the most precious commodities of the 21st century. National Meteorological and Hydrological Services will be central to efforts to “count every drop because every drop counts.