Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced the formation of the U.S. Water Partnership (USWP), a new public-private organization connecting people, ideas, and resources to tackle the growing water crises throughout the world.

USWP represents a collaborative effort by NGOs, U.S. government agencies, and scientific and academic institutions to share knowledge and resources and to form partnerships to find solutions for increasing global water concerns. The Clean Water America Alliance, Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, and Rockefeller Foundation are some of the 22 partners supporting the organization.

During Secretary Clinton’s speech at this year’s World Water Day, she also spoke of the recently released Department of State report entitled “Global Water Security,” which outlines current water usage and how growing water tensions are predicted to impact U.S. national security interests. The Global Water Security report predicts that as water shortages become more critical beyond the next 10 years, shared water basins could be used as leverage and weapons, and dams, pipelines, and desalination plants could become targets for terrorism.

“Water shortages, poor water quality, and floods by themselves are unlikely to result in state failure. However, water problems—when combined with poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions—contribute to social disruptions that can result in state failure,” stated the report.

The report estimates that by 2030 annual global water requirements will hit 6,900 billion cubic meters (40 percent above the current sustainable water supplies) as the 2025 projected world population nears 8 billion people—a 1.2 billion increase between 2009 and 2025.

Countries currently already experiencing “water stress” include the western United States, southern Africa, northern Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and sections of China and South Asia, according to the report. One-third of the world’s population by 2030 will reside near water basins with water deficits larger than 50 percent. NASA satellite data has shown that northern India is depleting water faster than “any other comparable region in the world,” cited the report.

Water scarcity forces affected populations to rely on unsafe water sources for drinking water, which increases the risks of cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, and other waterborne diseases, noted the report. According to a 2006 United Nations Human Development Report, one child dies from a water-related disease approximately every 15 seconds.

Decreased fresh water quality from salt-water intrusion and industrial, biofuel, agricultural, and sanitation processes, along with climate change, are contributing to increased water scarceness. Investments in water treatment, energy, and technology reducing the amount of water necessary for agriculture, along with improved water management, will offer the best solutions to water challenges.

Image Courtesy of  mistydawnphoto / Shutterstock.com

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“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement..It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

These are the words of the historian James Truslow Adams, taken from his book Epic of America published in 1931. They summarize the idea of freedom and equality linked to the USA developed over the centuries which shaped the nation and has been rooted in the world populations common imaginary.

At the immigration to US basis there has always been the desire of liberty, redemption and success historically embodied by the “New World”. Over all its history America has been seen like the cradle of the possibilities by the people of all parts of the world.

During the 20th century started an immigration wave mostly of European people. The most industrialized cities as New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia were the destination of those who were attracted by the idea this new country where everything would had been possible and all the dreams would had become true. Different immigration acts were drawn up to regulate and limit the migratory flows.

Nowadays the “American dream” keeps attracting and fascinate a lot of people from all around the world. United States of America represent a worldwide appeal, every year more than one million legal migrants are welcome in this big and open country. US has the widest migratory flow of the world,immigration here has been the major source of population growth and cultural exchange and it laid the groundwork for a multicultural state.

Whereas in the past mostly of the migrants came from European countries, the biggest part of the current migrants come from Latin America and Asia.

Every year the American Government gives the opportunity to make the “American dream” come true for 50,000 foreign people who want to live and work in USA. The Green Card Lottery is a Diversity Immigrant Visa program which allows to receive a United States Permanent Resident Card. This lottery is administered by the Department of State. According to the Immigration Act of 1990, 50,000 permanent resident visas are made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The visas are distributed on a regional basis. Each region which sent a lower immigrants number to the US in the previous 5 years will receive more diversity visas. Currently, about 80% of the visas are given to Africa and Europe.

Lottery ‘”winners” must have all eligibility requirements under US law to get a diversity visa and immigrate to the United States, including at least a high school diploma, or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years training.

The lottery is conducted under the terms of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The participation to the program is free. The majority of the world’s inhabitants have the right to participate,this right is established according to the birth country of the participants. Also parents or spouses’ birth countries are accepted for applying.

USA open the doors to all the dreamers. Are you ready to run for your “American dream”?

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