The Clean Water Here Global Photography Exhibit will open at the Centre de Commerce Mondial in Montreal and will be hosted by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The exhibit opens July 2 and features 13 photographs that document the world’s complex water challenges, specifically focusing on issues surrounding safe drinking water.
The exhibit first debuted at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on UN World Water Day, March 22, 2018 in support of the Water Action Decade and promoted the idea that access to safe drinking water and sanitation are human rights – central to all people everywhere.
“Safe drinking water is critical to ending poverty, but it is a huge challenge.” said Lani Dolifka, the creator of Clean Water Here. “We want people to get a better understanding of the challenges so they can become agents of change in their own communities.”
Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity noted, “Today, some 1.9 billion people live in water-scarce areas. By 2050, this could increase to 3 billion people. To address this crisis we need to do much more than just turn to human-engineered solutions. We must complement our technological innovations by using and protecting nature’s own solutions for harnessing and providing freshwater. This means protecting and restoring wetlands, forests and grasslands, which capture and filter freshwater, and provide the needed ecosystems for creeks, streams and rivers to thrive.”
In addition to the global photography exhibit, Clean Water Here launched a social media campaign which drew the attention of over 750 million people, including celebrity supporters such as Pitbull, Pink, Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran, Seal, Kesha, Avril Levine, Andra Day, Ryan Seacrest, and others.
World-renowned photographers Martin Schoeller, Kristen Ashburn and Robert Clark selected photos for the exhibit.
SUPPORTERS:
Clean Water Here
Clean Water Here’s mission is to improve the world’s access to sustainable safe drinking water by raising awareness, supporting research & education, and advocating for under-served communities in the US and abroad. Research indicates risks associated with contaminants, infrastructure, and universal and equitable access. For more information visit www.cleanwaterhere.org
UN World Water Day
World Water Day has been observed since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared March 22 as the annual “World Day for Water.” Coordinated by UN Water in support of the 193 member nations of the UN, this day is devoted to implementing recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world’s water resources. In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water leverage World Water Day as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues facing the world. For more information visit www.worldwaterday.org
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 196 Parties so far, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing are supplementary agreements to the Convention. The Cartagena Protocol, which entered into force on 11 September 2003, seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. To date, 171 Parties have ratified the Cartagena Protocol. The Nagoya Protocol aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies. It entered into force on 12 October 2014 and to date has been ratified by 107 Parties. For more information visit: www.cbd.int. For additional information, please contact: David Ainsworth on +1 514 287 7025 or at david.ainsworth@cbd.int; or Johan Hedlund on +1 514 287 6670 or at johan.hedlund@cbd.int
Cause Flash
Created by David Clark Cause, Cause Flash is a digital platform devoted to aggregating the social media voices (Twitter, Facebook, Google+ followers) of dignitaries, celebrities, charities, brands and the public at large, so large scale social media campaigns can be launched instantly. By harnessing talent and technology to rally people around important causes that deserve immediate attention, Cause Flash elevates the human condition by inspiring and empowering people to donate funds and their own social media voices to address some of the greatest challenges of our time. For more information visit www.CauseFlash.org