Rio+20 outcome: hundreds of millions for water programs

   During the recent U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) conference in Brazil, the U.S. Water Partnership (USWP), a coalition of government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and private companies announced by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March, established a series of public and private partnerships leading to pledges of $500 million for global water projects. One partnership member, the humanitarian organization World Vision, has pledged to contribute $400 million to programs designed to implement best practices for water, sanitation, and hygiene in Haiti, India, and West Africa. Separately, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC) announced plans to invest at least $150 million over the next one to two years to improve desalination and water distribution infrastructure around the world, while the Nature Conservancy will invest $30 million over the next five years to support integrated water resource management programs. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will invest $21 million over five years on research activities that contribute to the improved management of global water resources.