The primary goal of the The UN International Decade for Action: Water for Life 2005-2015 is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. The 10-year period is critical. It is time to intensify advocacy efforts and action on the ground. Relevant commitments include the Millennium Development targets to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. The water target was reiterated at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, where a sanitation target was added. Achieving these targets will directly affect the lives and prospects of billions of people around the globe. A special emphasis will be placed on ensuring the involvement of women in these development efforts.