GENEVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched a 10-year water initiative on Thursday to meet the chronic global needs of water and sanitation.

    "Over 1.1 billion people worldwide lack safe water and 2.4 billion have no access to sanitation. This leads to over 3 million people dying each year," Uli Jaspers, head of water and sanitation at the International Federation, told reporters.

    "The Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI) will increase our focus on providing long-term solutions to meet the chronic needs of the poorest, who are the most vulnerable when disaster strikes," he said.

    The GWSI is intended to meet the needs of over 2 million people every year in post-disaster situations and increasingly in longer-term developmental projects.

    Statistics show that water-related illnesses account for as much as 35 percent of common recurrent diseases worldwide.

    Of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals, four have significant water and sanitation elements, of which the most challenging is to "reduce by half those without water and sanitation by 2015."

    "The GWSI intends to be an important vehicle to contribute to that goal," Jaspers said. Enditem