Water challenges go beyond questions of access. In many countries, girls are forced to drop out of school owing to a lack of sanitation facilities, and women are harassed or assaulted when carrying water or visiting a public toilet. Moreover, the poorest and most vulnerable members of society often have little choice but to buy water from informal vendors at prices estimated to be 20 to 100 per cent higher than that of their richer neighbours, who receive piped city water in their homes. This is not just unsustainable; it is unacceptable.

用水方面的挑戰還不限于取得用水的問題。許多國家的女童因為缺乏環衛設施而被迫退學，婦女提水或上公用廁所時被人騷擾或侵犯。此外，最窮最弱的社會成員往往不得不向非正式的販子買水，價錢比在家里接引本市自來水的有錢鄰居所付的價錢大約高出20%至100%。這種情況不僅不可持續，而且不可接受。

Water problems will figure prominently at the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, in 2012 – Rio + 20. My High-level Panel on Global Sustainability and UN-Water are examining ways in which we can connect the dots among water, energy and food security, with the aim of reducing poverty and inequality, generating jobs, and minimizing the risks of climate change and environmental stress.

在將于2012年在里約熱內盧舉行的聯合國可持續發展大會(里約＋20)上，水的問題將居于顯著的地位。我的全球可持續性和聯合國水機制問題高級別小組正在研究我們可以采用什么方法把水、能源和糧食安全之間的關系建立起來，以期減少貧窮和不平等現象，創造就業機會，并盡量減少氣候變化和環境壓力的危險。

On World Water Day, I urge governments to recognize the urban water crisis for what it is – a crisis of governance, weak policies and poor management, rather than one of scarcity. Let us also pledge to reverse the alarming decline in pro poor investment in water and sanitation. And let us reaffirm our commitment to ending the plight of the more than 800 million people who, in a world of plenty, still do not have the safe drinking water or sanitation they need for a life in dignity and good health.

在世界水日，我呼吁各國政府認識城市用水危機的真相——這是治理方式、軟弱政策和管理不善造成的危機，而非供不應求的危機。我們還要保證把水和環衛方面有利于窮人的投資急劇下降的趨勢扭轉過來。同時讓我們重申：我們承諾終止8億多人民的苦難，他們雖然處于一個富足的世界中，卻仍然得不到他們的尊嚴和健康生活所需的安全飲用水或環境衛生。