A UN conference has called for the appointment of a UN special envoy for water to help manage the global issue of water shortages, safe drinking water and sanitation services. Henk Ovink, water envoy of the Netherlands, which was a co-organizer of the conference, warned that “water has no home here at the UN” without a dedicated UN agency or global treaty. Latest figures compiled by the UN-Water website revealed that two billion people still lack safe drinking water, while 3.6 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation services, including 494 million who have to relieve themselves in the open. Climate change exacerbates water shortages, making them more frequent and intense. A young Dutch woman, Aniek Moonen, spoke to the delegates, suggesting that the summit could be a pivotal moment for water management “to become more sustainable, equitable, and just than ever before.”
UN Urges Action to Safeguard Water Resources and Ensure Global Prosperity
In a three-day UN conference, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the world to safeguard water resources and modify its usage to prevent conflict and ensure future global prosperity. Guterres stressed that water is “the most precious common good” and needs to be at the center of the global political agenda. The world is not on track to meet its 2030 water goals, including access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all.
NGOs, governments, and the private sector offered nearly 700 commitments before and during the conference, drawing some 10,000 participants. Pledges ranged from the construction of toilets to the restoration of 300,000 kilometers of degraded rivers and massive areas of wetlands. Less than a third of the commitments have funding, but about a third “are going to have substantial impact.”
Charles Iceland of the World Resources Institute think tank said, “these voluntary commitments are a good start,” referring in particular to a project led by Germany on the management of the Niger River basin, which touches nine nations in Africa. He added that the issue of water “is a huge problem, and one conference is not going to do it,” pleading for annual conferences on water.
Stuart Orr of WWF stated, “This issue is not going away. The water issue is only going to get worse. And I think that’s why everybody is starting to feel maybe now really is the time to get going.” While Orr acknowledges that “it’s not all rosy,” he was “pleasantly surprised,” in part, at the variety of institutions and organizations now talking about water.
UN Conference Pleads for Dedicated UN Agency for Water
A UN conference has pleaded for the appointment of a UN special envoy for water, which is currently under consideration by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Without a dedicated UN agency or global treaty, “water has no home here at the UN,” said Henk Ovink, water envoy of the Netherlands, which was a coorganizer of the conference.
According to the latest figures compiled by the UN-Water website, two billion people still lack safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation services, including 494 million who had to relieve themselves in the open. Moreover, at least two billion people drink water contaminated with feces, and 2.3 billion lack basic sanitation services, which are conditions conducive to the spread of cholera, dysentery, and polio.
Climate change exacerbates droughts, making them more frequent and intense. UN climate experts (IPCC) estimate that about half of the world’s population suffers from “severe” water shortages during at least part of the year.
A young Dutch woman, Aniek Moonen, addressed the conference, suggesting that it could be a pivotal moment for water management “to become more sustainable, equitable, and just than ever before.” She urged the delegates to listen to the future.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
