Water resources are vital to all human activities from basic survival to the most complex industrial production. In recent years, a broad set of national and international water issues has begun to receive significant attention. This paper provides a snapshot of current global water issues, assesses the water-related risks and opportunities most relevant for the private sector, and describes the general kinds of activities the business community could and should be taking to address them.

This report provides estimates of drinking water and sanitation coverage in 2004, by country and MDG region. It shows how many people have gained access since the MDG baseline year (1990) and identifies the challenges to meet the MDG drinking water and sanitation target over the coming decade. It compares progress towards the target, identifying which regions are on track, which are making progress but where progress is insufficient to reach the target, and which are not on track.