Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to speak to the Group of Friends of Water today at this timely meeting. We have just come out of a successful UN Water Conference, but ultimately, our accomplishments will depend on how this success translates on the ground.
A key outcome of the Conference was the Water Action Agenda, a compendium of voluntary pledges that were announced or registered in the lead up to, as well as during the Conference itself. As of today, over 824 commitments have been published.
This enthusiastic response to the call for voluntary action reflects the collective ambition of the international community for water.
We must build on the momentum generated by the Conference.
I would like to share some highlights of the commitments made so far.
First: Just over half of the commitments came from civil society, which includes NGOs and other civil society organizations, academia, and the scientific community, and other intergovernmental organizations. 23 per cent came from governments. 9 per cent from the private sector. And 6 per cent came from the UN entities.
Second: The Water Action Agenda addresses the linkages between SDG 6 and other SDGs. The interlinkages across climate action (SDG13), SDG 17 on Partnerships and SDG 15 Life on Land, were particularly featured, as was the link between water action and SDG 3 on good health and well-being.
Third: 57 Member States registered on commitments on the platform. Of the 183 commitments made by Member States, 44 per cent were from countries in Europe, 18 per cent from Latin America and the Caribbean, 15 per cent from Africa, and 13 per cent from Asia and the Pacific.
Just over two-thirds of Member State commitments were aimed at national-level impact with the remaining commitments aimed mostly at global-level action.
We were also pleased to see that some one-third of Member State commitments clearly identified dedicated financial resources for delivering on the commitments made.
More than 50 of these commitments have dedicated funding of 1 million USD or above, and 30 have dedicated funding of over 50 million USD.
These insights have been encouraging but also point to other opportunities where the Water Action Agenda can make further impact.
Firstly, I congratulate Europe for their firm support of water action, and I would urge Member States from other regions to do more. I encourage you to assess the needs in the water sector and set priorities and clear commitments for addressing the gaps and accelerating progress on SDG 6.
Secondly, I encourage those who have not done so, to be clear on the means of implementation. Indicate the resources allocated, or any action already taken towards implementation. A commitment to resources is a clear demonstration of the strength and depth of your resolve to move your commitments forward.
Third: A more balanced mix of contributors is needed among the lead entities.
Finally, while many commitments are either international or national in scope, regional action is missing.
We should look into national commitments that can be scaled up at the regional level. Similarly, we can learn from those commitments that are international in scope and see how they can be applied to regional settings.
As a follow-up to the UN Water Conference, DESA is committed to reviewing the progress of these commitments. We count on the cooperation of all registered entities to provide us with the information and updates needed for a meaningful review.
Regular follow-up and review of the Water Action Agenda will be organized around the annual review of SDG 6 and the Water Action Agenda Special Event of the HLPF.
We know that progress is possible only through effective and meaningful partnerships. I encourage Member States and stakeholders to look closely at the commitments to see where support and expertise is needed and where partnerships can be built to ensure delivery.
DESA along with UN-Water, and the Resident Coordinator system, is also ready to leverage expertise available within the UN system in support of implementation.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Water Action Agenda platform stays open to register your commitments.
Going forward DESA in collaboration with UN-Water will continue to mobilize around these commitments and provide you the support that you need to move forward.
Thank you.