Welcome to the first issue of Global Waters, a newsletter dedicated to the broad portfolio of water-related activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Water in its many forms – fresh, brackish, or marine – is central to the success of sustainable development. All life depends on freshwater and there is simply no substitute for it. Yet for many countries, including a growing number in the developing world, water is becoming increasingly scarce. As populations continue to grow and along with them hopes and expectations for improved well-being and affluence, the demand for freshwater is seemingly without bound. During the past century, global population tripled while demand for freshwater grew six-fold, and that demand is now doubling every 20 years.