and the Mediterranean
Programs, Projects and Links
Rosenberg Water Conferences
UNESCO reports that 1.2 billion people have no access to drinking water and 2.4 billion are deprived of water purification services. Fresh water must be recognized as a common good and the international community must prevent conflict over water allocation.
The Bank of America and the University of California have established a major international forum on water policy, which focuses on reducing water-related conflicts while encouraging environmental protection and economic growth. It is called the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy in honor of retired Bank of America Chairman and CEO Richard M. Rosenberg, who has played a significant role in mediating water issues in California.
The Rosenberg Forum was established with an initial grant from Bank of America and will be permanently managed by the University's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Rosenberg Forum sponsors a major international conference of invited scholars and policy-makers every two years on water policy issues of global significance.
“Water resources are becoming increasingly scarce worldwide,” said Henry J. Vaux, Jr., a University of California water expert and the forum’s principal organizer. “We can no longer tolerate the fact that a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and more than twice that many have no access to adequate sanitation services. Furthermore, we must plan now how to use water resources more wisely to feed the world’s growing population while protecting the environment.”