World Water Day 22 March

WORLD WATER DAY 22 MARCH

Message from Marco Kappenberger 23 February 2005 23rd February 2005, Rotary's Hundredth Birthday ======================================= Most esteemed Friends, fellow Rotarians and Rotaractors, On Rotary's 100th birthday, yours are the very best wishes for Rotary's healthy growth into its 2nd century ! From its first meeting on Feb. 23rd 1905 in Chicago, in so many ways Rotary has really grown, in fellowship and service where the need is greatest, towards now being the major force for good and peace in the world ! When announcing to us 'Service Above Self', Rotary's "timeless message of compassion and generosity of spirit", as the 2005-6 Rotary theme for his year, as our RI President Elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar reminded us that the United Nations calls the global water crisis "a threat to economic development, to poverty reduction, to the environment, and to peace and security" and stressed that consequently "The continued action of Rotarians is desperately needed to alleviate hunger and improve the health and well-being of all those who are deprived of this essential resource". Remembering Past Rotary International President Paulo Costa who with his wisdom and vision had given humankind through Rotary 'Preserve Planet Earth' , and, while we are now celebrating the victory of PolioPlus and entering this new century and millennium, considering humankind's needs for sustainable development, it's most appropriate that Water, Health, and Literacy/Education are paramount goals of the Family of Rotary. Supported especially also by the global membership of the Rotary Environment Fellowship, Rotarians and Rotaractors and their clubs worldwide, often co-operating closely with the United Nations' efforts for sustainable development and peace, are increasingly supporting environmental protection and enhancement as well as water management or the conservation and development of water resources. Rotary International's Water Resource Task Force provides information and support for Rotary clubs and districts to increase awareness of the importance of conservation and development of water resources worldwide. Emphasis is given to projects that: 1. Provide education on the protection of water resources through sanitation and conservation measures. 2. Assist local communities in cleaning up rivers, lakes, streams and other water sources. 3. Provide community wells or other sources of potable water for low income areas. 4. Provide for functional and environmental sustainability. 5. Provide training for improved practices in hygiene and care for children.
2004-05 Presidential Emphasis Task ForcesWe'd welcome your comments, and, if your club has undertaken or is already working on a successful project in the field of water and the environment in general, please kindly do consider sharing a brief report about it also with the Environment Fellowship of Rotarians so that, through its global membership, your project can become an example to be considered, adapted and implemented in other parts of the world where the need for it is greatest. "Water for Life" is the theme of the United Nations' International Decade for Action, 2005-2015, the first decade of Rotary's 2nd century, which is launched on World Water Day (WWD) to be celebrated all over the world in just a short month, on March 22nd. It's an opportunity to promote public awareness and the dissemination of information relating to the conservation and management of water resources. The 'Water for Life Decade' is the best that could happen to our quality of life, to our environment, to our health, to our nutrition, or even to our disaster preparedness, and it has the goal to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues: which will require sustained commitment, cooperation and investment for humankind to have everywhere access to sufficient quality drinking water, as well as to have basic sanitation, as called for by the 'Millennium Development Goals' which set also specific targets for reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation by 2015. All these are activities that will promote public awareness of these issues and especially those related to the 'Water for Life' theme are strongly encouraged. Grateful to Rotary International for its coordination and to our President Glenn Estess for his leadership and for his centennial message, as from the East to the West we are about to start celebrating Rotary's 100th Birthday during the 48 hours of the Rotary day, it is especially the thousands of great projects to help where the need is greatest in our communities and in all countries that commemorate best this historic special anniversary which sets the foundation for Rotary's new, exciting second century. As we begin this our 2nd century of service and move forward with renewed commitment to Rotary's historical ideals, I am happy to hereby confirm to you that, in order to henceforth be able to better and more strongly support the Object of Rotary and Rotary International's promising initiative to form cyber-clubs, I am now charter member of the just born 'Rotary eClub of Latinoamerica' , and will be happy to answer any questions you might have and email me about this new great opportunity of Rotary fellowship and service. Celebrating Rotary and living Service Above Self, with greetings and very best wishes for this new century in which Rotary will "raise the bar and reinvent the Rotary wheel to improve the world"*), I'm yours sincerely in Rotary service, Marco Marco Kappenberger Environment Fellowship of Rotarians Charter member of the Rotary eClub Latinoamerica, District 4200 IPP, Rotary Club Apia, Polynesia, District 9920 District Governor's Special Representative for the Rotary Club of Savaii, the world's most Western, where the celebrations of February 23rd will end last UNFR Email: < k@samoa.ws> POB247, Apia, Samoa, Polynesia +685 42014 *) quotation from the February message to all Rotarians by our RI President Glenn E. Estess, Sr.Navigation