The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue

In March 2011, high-level experts from around the world were invited to Toronto, Canada, to meet with members of theInterAction Council about the status of the world’s freshwater supply as it relates to global security issues (see List ofParticipants in this volume). These experts reported that that the global water crisis is real and that there is urgency inaddressing the growing number of security risks associated with threatened water supply and quality. They also, however,expressed hope and identified opportunities that can be realized by the timely triggering of change in policies, institutions,and the way society thinks about water.