Ｃｌｅａｎ Ｗａｔｅｒ Ｄｅｃｌａｒａｔｉｏｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ Ｔｏｕｒ ａｎｄ Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｐｈｏｔｏ Ｅｘｈｉｂｉｔｉｏｎ ｏｎ Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ ａｎｄ Ｗａｔｅｒ Ｌａｕｎｃｈｅｄ ｉ

The launching ceremony of the Clean Water Declaration China Tour and the International Photo Exhibition on People and Water were held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 22， the World Water Day. These activities were jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC， Clean Water Alliances and the China Friendship Foundation of Peace and Development (CFFPD). Gao Zhanxiang， member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， Li Xiaolin， vice president of the CPAFFC， James Gao， chairman of Clean Water Alliances， together with diplomatic envoys of foreign countries in China， officials of the U. N. and other international organizations， Chinese government officials， mayors， entrepreneurs， artists and representatives of various circles in the capital， totaling about 300， attended the ceremony and signed the Clean Water Declaration---“Water is precious. Let us treasure it and make it clean.”

The problem of water and the protection of water resources have become important global issues. In China， cases of water environment deterioration and water pollution crop up from time to time. In some cities and regions， the low water quality and the shortage of drinking water have affected the health of the people. Therefore， the protection and management of water resources have become major tasks in social development. The Clean Water Declaration China Tour includes mounting International Photo Exhibitions on People and Water in major cities in China and signing the Clean Water Declaration by the mayors of these cities in order to prevent the deterioration of water environment， protect water resources and achieve harmony between people and water and society as well. These activities aim at drawing the attention of the whole society to water quality and drinking water and health so as to protect water environment in China.

At the launching ceremony， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin announced the setting up of the Clean Water Fund， the first of its kind specializing in the protection of water in China by the CPAFFC， the CFFPD and Clean Water Alliances under the CFFPD. The setting up of the Clean Water Fund will closely link the work of water protection， drinking water and health with peace， friendship and development， and promote social harmony， development and international exchange and cooperation through protecting water environment and improving drinking water quality.

In her speech， Li Xiaolin said， Clean Water Declaration China Tour will attract more people to take actions in response to the call: “Water is precious. Let us treasure it and make it clean.” She made the appeal that let us work hard together to protect water resources for our environment and health， for our younger generations as well as for carrying on our national spirit.