Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to welcome you all to this joint celebration of the International Day of Forests and World Water Day.
Last year, the world adopted a number of landmark agreements that together will shape the future of sustainable development. From the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, to the decision of the UN Forum on Forests to strengthen and extend the International Arrangement on Forests to 2030, followed by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, culminating with the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and finally, the Paris Agreement on climate change.
These milestone agreements, individually and combined, demonstrate a renewed commitment by the international community to place people and planet at the centre of development. These agreements also all directly relate to forests and water, the topics of today’s celebration.
As the Secretary-General has stated, the 2030 Agenda is the “most inclusive development agenda the world has ever seen”. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a social contract between the world's leaders and their people, a to-do list for people and planet. They are a blueprint for success.
In order to meet this ambition, we will need to work together. Today’s joint celebration is a great example of collaboration; the UN Forum on Forests, the UN-Water Secretariat and the Government of Sweden have worked together to organise this event.
It is also a great example of the type of integration we will need to foster to successfully implement the 2030 Agenda, recognizing interlinkages between the different goals and targets.
The need for the sustainable management of forest and water resources is explicitly recognised in SDGs 6 and SDG 15; however these vital resources are important for all SDGs. As the Secretary-General’s message has highlighted as the global population grows and demands for water escalate, safeguarding the water-providing capacity of forests is becoming more urgent. You cannot have fresh water without forests; at the same time, water is essential for people’s wellbeing, health and livelihoods.
Water resources maintain jobs across all sectors of the global economy, including agriculture, forestry and industry, and decent jobs and training are likewise needed in order maintain and extend water and forestry services.
This is just one example of the complex inter-linkages among forest and water issues. Clearly, if we are to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals and targets on forests and water, we can only do so through an integrated and coordinated approach.
Today’s event is a celebration of the multi-faceted benefits and services that forests and water provide. Through the course of this event you will hear different perspectives on how forests and water hold the key to our future – from building resilient urban communities and protecting coastal regions from storm surges, and how various stakeholders are taking action to manage and conserve these vital natural resources.
On the occasion of the International Day of Forests and World Water Day, let us take this opportunity to rise to the challenge, to resist silos and break down institutional barriers to collaboration. We, as one UN, must come together to take collective action on forests and water.
Thank you.
It is an honour to welcome you all to this joint celebration of the International Day of Forests and World Water Day.
Last year, the world adopted a number of landmark agreements that together will shape the future of sustainable development. From the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, to the decision of the UN Forum on Forests to strengthen and extend the International Arrangement on Forests to 2030, followed by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, culminating with the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and finally, the Paris Agreement on climate change.
These milestone agreements, individually and combined, demonstrate a renewed commitment by the international community to place people and planet at the centre of development. These agreements also all directly relate to forests and water, the topics of today’s celebration.
As the Secretary-General has stated, the 2030 Agenda is the “most inclusive development agenda the world has ever seen”. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a social contract between the world's leaders and their people, a to-do list for people and planet. They are a blueprint for success.
In order to meet this ambition, we will need to work together. Today’s joint celebration is a great example of collaboration; the UN Forum on Forests, the UN-Water Secretariat and the Government of Sweden have worked together to organise this event.
It is also a great example of the type of integration we will need to foster to successfully implement the 2030 Agenda, recognizing interlinkages between the different goals and targets.
The need for the sustainable management of forest and water resources is explicitly recognised in SDGs 6 and SDG 15; however these vital resources are important for all SDGs. As the Secretary-General’s message has highlighted as the global population grows and demands for water escalate, safeguarding the water-providing capacity of forests is becoming more urgent. You cannot have fresh water without forests; at the same time, water is essential for people’s wellbeing, health and livelihoods.
Water resources maintain jobs across all sectors of the global economy, including agriculture, forestry and industry, and decent jobs and training are likewise needed in order maintain and extend water and forestry services.
This is just one example of the complex inter-linkages among forest and water issues. Clearly, if we are to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals and targets on forests and water, we can only do so through an integrated and coordinated approach.
Today’s event is a celebration of the multi-faceted benefits and services that forests and water provide. Through the course of this event you will hear different perspectives on how forests and water hold the key to our future – from building resilient urban communities and protecting coastal regions from storm surges, and how various stakeholders are taking action to manage and conserve these vital natural resources.
On the occasion of the International Day of Forests and World Water Day, let us take this opportunity to rise to the challenge, to resist silos and break down institutional barriers to collaboration. We, as one UN, must come together to take collective action on forests and water.
Thank you.
File date:
Monday, March 21, 2016