U.S. Water News Online
NEW YORK -- Freshwater resources worldwide are so important that the United Nations has proclaimed the year 2003 as the ``International Year of Fresh Water.'' The decree encourages governments through the United Nations to increase the awareness of the importance of sustainable freshwater use, management and protection.
To help promote and publicize the freshwater program, the United Nations Postal Administration has issued a set of six new commemorative stamps with a freshwater theme. The UNPA in New York; Geneva, Switzerland; and Vienna, Austria each will release two stamps as part of this joint effort.
The designer of the stamps is surrealist artist Rick Garcia of Miami. According to Garcia, each design depicts surreal imagery of people, animals and insects. The locations are a swamp, a mountain scene during fall and a northern high country area in winter.
The pair of U.S. stamps portray a person in a canoe gliding through waters and vegetation toward receding water. The Swiss stamps illustrate a mountain scene with a waterfall during a bright and sunny day in which people are enjoying the outdoors. The Austrian stamps feature a high mountain scene with heavy snowfall borders. Horses and people are seen on the icy area.
A souvenir card also has been issued with the same theme (International Year of Fresh Water). The card depicts the new stamps and carries a statement by United Nations Secretary General Kofi A. Annan.
The UNPA says the card will be available only through October.
First-day covers and the new stamps will be available by calling (800) 234-UNPA from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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