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According to the new UN World Water Development Report on Water and Jobs launched today in Geneva at the ILO, opportunities for employment growth and decent jobs are contingent upon the sustainable management of water resources and the provision of water-related services.

For UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings: “safe water is a human right. According to the new Report launched today on the World Water Day, every hour 38 workers die from water-related diseases. Access to water and sanitation services is critical to maintaining a healthy and productive workforce.”

“The total cost of water insecurity to the global economy is estimated at US$500 billion a year. Water scarcity and supply disruptions limit the growth potential for decent, high-quality jobs”.

“The other side of the coin is that investing in water services and infrastructures could create tremendous opportunities to unleash the transition to a green economy rich in job creation. 1.5 billion people work in water-related sectors and three out or four jobs are already water-dependent. Investments in water infrastructure and water jobs generate positive returns and have a multiplier effect on job creation across all economic sectors”, added Mr. Jennings.

In his foreword to the UN Report on Water and Jobs, Guy Ryder, Chair of the UN-Water and Director-General of International Labour Organization, also shared his hopeful and positive vision for a sustainable future: “ Water and jobs have many common denominators: water is central to human survival, the environment and the economy- decent work is the chief locomotive of development and better standards of living. Both have the power to transform people’s lives.”