The New Delhi Declaration.

This article focuses on New Delhi, India declaration adopted during the XIIth World Water Congress of International Water Resources Association (IWRA). The Congress was organized by the IWRA in association with the Indian Regional Committee of IWRA and the Central Board of Irrigation and Power of India. The duration of the Congress was from the November 22-25, 2005. The declaration stated that water should be conserved, protected and developed because it is the engine of economic growth, a pillar of sustainable development, an unquestioned fundamental requirement to alleviate poverty and a basic need for every form of life on the planet. The declaration called upon the leaders of the world to place water infrastructure development on the top of the agenda to address and reverse the trends of decades of decline in financial allocation by governments and financial institutions. Before adopting the declaration the Congress raised attention to the implementation of integrated water resources management, focused in particular on the aspects of water efficiency, the importance of stakeholder participation and small-scale adapted solutions in water resources management.