World Water Day: CWS Looks at Moldova

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

World Water Day: Conference examines Moldova water supply issues

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA, March 22, 2011--Church World Service is joining today's 
global recognition of World Water Day 
(http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/download/wwd2011_maineventprogramme.pdf) 
with co-sponsorship of a major conference today in Chisinau, Moldova, 
Implementation of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation in Moldova, which 
will focus on the international Protocol on Water and Health. 

"Access to clean water is one of the main problems facing the Moldovan 
population," says Dr. Vitali Vorona, CWS regional representative for Europe, 
who will present on CWS work at the conference. 

Moldova's water supply and sewerage systems have degraded to the point that "up 
to 45 percent of the population uses drinking water that does not comply with 
sanitary standards," according to Vorona.

The Protocol on Water and Health 
(http://www.unece.org/env/water/text/text_protocol.htm), which took effect in 
2005, is the first international agreement of its kind adopted specifically to 
attain adequate safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone in the European 
region. It is the first legally binding, multilateral agreement in the region 
linking sustainable water management and health protection.  

With consumption of contaminated water recognized as a major cause of disease 
and death in Moldova, especially for young children, sustainable management of 
the country's water resources is a key issue. Church World Service implements 
water and sanitation projects in Moldova in cooperation with Women in Europe 
for the Common Future (WECF), the East Foundation and local partners. 

To alleviate problems caused by water scarcity in a world where more than a 
billion people lack clean water, and more than 2.1 million people, mostly 
children, die each year from waterborne disease, Church World Service assists 
communities in obtaining and managing their own safe water supplies and 
watershed sources.  

The global humanitarian agency's water projects 
(http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=action_what_water_main)
 in developing countries improve health, hygiene and sanitation and help 
provide security through efficient irrigation, use of under-utilized natural 
water resources like groundwater, rain harvests, rivers, lakes, and lowland 
collections. They also help insure sustainability by improving water management 
in communities that suffer chronic drought and/or flooding.  In addition, the 
projects support peaceful sharing of water resources to reduce conflict in 
communities where water resources are scarce.

Today's Moldova water conference features a panel of water experts who will 
examine a broad range of theoretical and practical problems related to the 
human right to water and sanitation in Moldova and provide a forum for water 
professionals, policy makers and researchers to exchange ideas and experiences.

"This gathering of stakeholders will play an important role in fostering 
partnerships between key agencies engaged in water supply and sanitation in 
Moldova and will create a broad platform for capacity building," Vorona says. 

In addition to Vorona, speakers include Mahai Magdie, deputy minister, Moldova 
Ministry of Health; Ion Salaru, Moldova Ministry of Health; Tamara Guvir, 
Moldova Ministry of Environment; Sascha Gabizon, executive director, WECF; Dr. 
Anke Stock, WECF; Dana Craciunescu, senior banker, BERD; and Rodica Iordanov, 
Milieukontakt.

Church World Service and Women in Europe for the Common Future organized the 
conference in collaboration with other international and local stakeholders. 

For further information on other CWS water-related work, see the March issue of 
SERVICE, CWS's e-zine: 
http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=7701.0&dlv_id=10461 

Media Contacts

Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org 
Jan Dragin - 24/7 - (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net 

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