To resolve water problems in the Asia-Pacific region, national leaders from the region and representatives of international organizations gathered together for the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, in December 2007. One in five people in the Asia-Pacific region does not currently have continuous access to safe drinking water. Floods are a recurring problem, and 80% of natural disaster fatalities worldwide are in this region. Water is essential for human life, but water problems are closely tied to poverty, and the summit called for the development of measures and policies that could be put into immediate practice.