Excellencies,Distinguished Participants,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to participate in this important event about implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal on water - SDG 6.SDG6 is critical for global sustainable development and poverty eradication.
It is essential for the achievement of the other SDGs.
By now we have a clear understanding of the global water agenda.
First, we know that much progress has been made; and we should be inspired by this success.
But challenges remain. For example, we know that:• More than two billion people are affected by water stress.
• While 6.6 billion people used an improved drinking water source in 2015, an estimated 663 million people were still using unimproved sources or surface water.
• As of 2015, 2.4 billion people lacked access to improved sanitation—with 946 million people still practicing open defecation.
• Climate change is going to exacerbate the water challenges. The world may face a 40 per cent shortfall in water availability by 2030.
Second, while we may face a shortfall in water, we are not short on ideas and solutions.
SDG 6 and its targets provide a timely framework for guiding global action.And stakeholders have come together to put forward more specific action plans.
For example, on Wednesday, the High Level Panel on Water, consisting of 11 sitting Heads of State and Government, including the President of Tajikistan, and one Special Adviser, issued a Call to Action for a fundamental shift in the way the world manages water.
Let me share another example.
Last month in Dushanbe, the High Level Symposium on SDG 6 and Targets:
Ensuring that No One is Left Behind in Access to Water and Sanitation, also issued a Call for Action.
Among other actions, it called upon the international community:• To deepen cooperation through strengthening and creating effective multi-stakeholder initiatives,• To address emergent water issues, such as increasing water scarcity,• To improve the capacity of countries to implement and monitor integrated water resources management plans;• And to increase cooperation on water technology, capacity building, data and access to information,
All these initiatives contribute to the momentum for change and for transformative action.
Looking ahead, I would like to share a few personal thoughts.
First, if we are going to change the way the world manages water resources, we must start by changing our silo mind-set.
We should not approach water as a single sector.
As the discussion in Dushanbe indicated, we need to view water as a cross-cutting challenge and find cross-cutting solutions.
That means addressing the multi-dimensions and multi-functionality of water and use that approach as the basis for integrated water solutions.
Second, any water solutions must be multi-stakeholder solutions, which means including water users as stakeholders but not merely as customers who pay.
Third, let us not forget that sustainable consumption and production, which is SDG12, can help drive solutions to the water challenges.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Government of Tajikistan for your consistent global leadership in water and sanitation.We stand ready to work with UNDP colleagues and, under the overall guidance of UN-Water, with partners in the UN system.
Thank you.
It is a great pleasure to participate in this important event about implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal on water - SDG 6.SDG6 is critical for global sustainable development and poverty eradication.
It is essential for the achievement of the other SDGs.
By now we have a clear understanding of the global water agenda.
First, we know that much progress has been made; and we should be inspired by this success.
But challenges remain. For example, we know that:• More than two billion people are affected by water stress.
• While 6.6 billion people used an improved drinking water source in 2015, an estimated 663 million people were still using unimproved sources or surface water.
• As of 2015, 2.4 billion people lacked access to improved sanitation—with 946 million people still practicing open defecation.
• Climate change is going to exacerbate the water challenges. The world may face a 40 per cent shortfall in water availability by 2030.
Second, while we may face a shortfall in water, we are not short on ideas and solutions.
SDG 6 and its targets provide a timely framework for guiding global action.And stakeholders have come together to put forward more specific action plans.
For example, on Wednesday, the High Level Panel on Water, consisting of 11 sitting Heads of State and Government, including the President of Tajikistan, and one Special Adviser, issued a Call to Action for a fundamental shift in the way the world manages water.
Let me share another example.
Last month in Dushanbe, the High Level Symposium on SDG 6 and Targets:
Ensuring that No One is Left Behind in Access to Water and Sanitation, also issued a Call for Action.
Among other actions, it called upon the international community:• To deepen cooperation through strengthening and creating effective multi-stakeholder initiatives,• To address emergent water issues, such as increasing water scarcity,• To improve the capacity of countries to implement and monitor integrated water resources management plans;• And to increase cooperation on water technology, capacity building, data and access to information,
All these initiatives contribute to the momentum for change and for transformative action.
Looking ahead, I would like to share a few personal thoughts.
First, if we are going to change the way the world manages water resources, we must start by changing our silo mind-set.
We should not approach water as a single sector.
As the discussion in Dushanbe indicated, we need to view water as a cross-cutting challenge and find cross-cutting solutions.
That means addressing the multi-dimensions and multi-functionality of water and use that approach as the basis for integrated water solutions.
Second, any water solutions must be multi-stakeholder solutions, which means including water users as stakeholders but not merely as customers who pay.
Third, let us not forget that sustainable consumption and production, which is SDG12, can help drive solutions to the water challenges.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Government of Tajikistan for your consistent global leadership in water and sanitation.We stand ready to work with UNDP colleagues and, under the overall guidance of UN-Water, with partners in the UN system.
Thank you.
File date:
Friday, September 23, 2016