Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to be with you at this important UN-Water Meeting, to provide an update on the UN 2023 Water Conference.
In May this year, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed me as Secretary-General of the Water Conference, to serve as focal point within the Secretariat for providing support to the organization of the Conference.
Indeed, the Conference comes at a critical time as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its onslaught in various parts of the world. The pandemic has made handwashing a focus of attention – a simple task, yet, impossible for so many as it is dependent on the availability of clean water.
The 2021 SDG Progress Report informs us that billions of people around the globe live without safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services. COVID-19 has underscored the need for universal access to these services to combat the pandemic, and promote a healthy, green and sustainable recovery.
Over the last century, global water use has increased at more than twice the rate of population growth. Many water sources are drying up, becoming more polluted, or both.
In addition to water stress and water pollution, countries are facing growing challenges linked to:
- degraded water-related ecosystems,
- water scarcity caused by climate change,
- underinvestment in water and sanitation, and
- insufficient cooperation on transboundary waters.
A dramatic acceleration in current rates of progress, and holistic approaches to water management are essential, if we want to achieve SDG 6.
As the Secretariat of the Conference, DESA in collaboration with UN-Water is supporting the co-hosts, Tajikistan and the Netherlands, in its preparatory process.
In 2018, the General Assembly adopted resolution 73/226 to convene the UN Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Water Action Decade in New York, from 22 to 24 March 2023. In 2020, the General Assembly adopted resolution 75/212 on the modalities of the Conference.
The 3-day Conference will comprise an opening and a closing ceremony, six plenary meetings, and five interactive dialogues in parallel with the plenary meetings.
The plenary meetings will be devoted to statements from Member States, international organizations, major groups, and other stakeholders accredited to the Conference as observers.
The interactive dialogues will be collaborative and multi-stakeholder in nature, with due regard for gender and geographical balance. Each 3-hour interactive dialogue includes a panel discussion, followed by an interactive debate among Member States and other relevant stakeholders.
In addition, side events related to the Water Action Decade will be organized by participants. A wide range of stakeholder engagement, including online briefings and consultations, will also be announced on the Conference website.
The outcome of the Conference will be a summary of the Conference proceedings prepared by the President of the General Assembly. The outcome will feed into the 2023 High-level Political Forum.
The Conference Secretariat is expected to prepare two documents:
1. The UN Secretary-General is requested to prepare a report for the 77th session of the General Assembly. The report will assess progress in the first half of the Water Action Decade, and identify obstacles and constraints as well as actions and initiatives, to overcome them during the second half of the Decade.
2. The Secretary-General of the Conference is requested to prepare a background note at the one-day preparatory meeting, organized by the President of the General Assembly, by November 2022. The preparatory meeting will finalize the themes of the interactive dialogues.
UN-Water’s Task Force on Water Action Decade Implementation is already supporting the preparation of the background note and proposals, for the themes of interactive dialogues.
I am pleased to learn that UN-Water, including UNDESA is developing a zero draft of a non-paper, which will present options on possible themes of the dialogues.
After the themes are finalized by Member States, UN-Water Members and Partners along with Member States and other stakeholders will be asked to join the preparation process of concerned dialogues, as per mandate.
As you are aware, the Conference is preceded by regional and global preparatory meetings. The first such meeting was the High-level Meeting on Water convened by the President of the General Assembly this past March. Other meetings and conferences have been announced by Member States to build momentum and enrich discussions at the 2023 Conference.
Dear Colleagues,
In his recently released Report, the Secretary-General emphasizes that “Our Common Agenda is, above all, an agenda of action. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements, including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
In the area of water, Member States have already taken two critical steps: First, by declaring 2018-2028 the Decade for Water Action; and second, the rollout of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework.
It is now time to take urgent action to ensure that we are collectively making a difference on the ground. Therefore, together, let us work towards an inclusive and action-oriented Conference, addressing and leveraging linkages among water and variety of sectors.
Only through partnership and collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders, will we be able to accomplish our common priorities in water and its related issues.
Supported by UN-Water expertise, DESA stands ready to assist the co-hosts, Tajikistan and the Netherlands, to deliver a successful and impactful Conference.
I thank you.