International Rivers and Lakes Nº 33

CONTENTS I.Virtual water: the solution to water shortage? II. Environmental probes derailed by NAFTA nations.III.Why exactly does the NAFTA CEC (Commission for Environmental Co-operation) exist?IV. An alliance for global water security in the 21st Century.V. Canada and the US make plans to restore the Great Lakes. VI. International Joint Commission recommends protecting Great Lakes Basin waters.VII. Major breakthrough for water quality and management in Europe.Thestatements and opinions reported in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or official positions of the United Nations, and are to be exclusively attributed to authors, organizations and media quoted or summarized in the Newsletter. The editor encourages contributions of news items for an exchange of information with interested readers. All correspondence should be addressed to: Director, Natural Resources and Infrastructure DivisionEconomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)Casilla de Correo 179-D, Santiago, ChileFax: (56-2) 208-02 52E-mail: fernando.sanchez-albavera@cepal.org with copy to andrei.jouravlev@cepal.org