The President of the Federated States of Micronesia declared March 22, 2011 as FSM National Water Day through a presidential proclamation. The proclamation noted that clean water is essential to life but over 1 billion people lack access to it. It also recognized that the UN designated March 22 as World Water Day and that the FSM would hold a National Water Summit on that date to discuss water resources and management. The proclamation urged citizens to join in recognizing water's importance and protecting it for the future.