The United Nations concluded its first major water conference in almost half a century, hoping to rally momentum for helping the 2 billion people who lack safe drinking water and 3.6 billion people without basic sanitation.
The conference, which drew 10,000 participants to U.N. headquarters in New York and online, led to about 700 nonbinding commitments from governments, nonprofits and businesses to a new "Water Action Agenda" and other follow-up steps under consideration including creation of a U.N. Special Envoy on Water.
