The Global Environment Monitoring System for Water (GEMS/Water) is to be sponsored by Ireland, who will also provide €600,000 of funding every year towards the programme.

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme, GEMS/Water will provide a key tool for the urgent work that needs to be done to protect essential water resources around the world.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD, said: "Traditional societies have long cherished water as a precious resource – in Ireland we have holy wells in nearly every parish – but in the modern world pressures such as population change, environmental degradation and global warming have diminished the quality and abundance of water in many areas to crisis levels.

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"Ireland's funding, together with the expertise of Irish universities, will enable the GEMS/Water programme to continue to drive a focus on water quality, particularly in the developing world."

Ireland's sponsorship of UNEP's GEMS/Water will be co-funded by the Irish Aid programme which is managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

(CD/JP)