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14 November 2022<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Thank you.<\/p>\n I want to start by congratulating the Egyptian Presidency by having the first day focusing on water.<\/p>\n Water is an integral part of the climate agenda. In order to make sure the money is invested in much, much more efficient ways, for that we need to build a process of transformation. Crystallised in certain events, decisions and goals.<\/p>\n Hank [Ovink] has mentioned that on October 24th and 25th, we had two days consultations. On the first day we had 1200 participants from all around the world, representing all stakeholders, science, youth, women, practitioners.<\/p>\n And we asked them \u2013 what would be your take to make sure that we change the course of events in water management? Because obviously we are lagging way behind where we want to be.<\/p>\n Where are those points?<\/p>\n Where are those elements which can help us turn the whole story?<\/p>\n Where are the game changers?<\/p>\n It was a very, very interesting discussion throughout the whole two days.<\/p>\n Let me flesh out some, very quickly, some of the game changers that experts in the room suggested that if we go for that, we may have a very different story.<\/p>\n First and foremost, I\u2019m sure the Minister will speak about it \u2013 refer to the work of the climate leaders.<\/p>\n We need to think in terms of integrated water climate policy. What does it mean? We need to integrate not only policies but also decision-making processes, data bases and benchmarks.<\/p>\n We need to have an early-warning initiative for all in the world in the forthcoming five years.<\/p>\n It is a huge project, and this project has been agreed on by the UN Secretary-General as well.<\/p>\n We need to re-establish a water management information system. We don\u2019t have it yet. We have separate databases for water, climate, weather. Even on a national basis, sometimes these are separate databases. We have nothing of the same kind globally.<\/p>\n We are in a very difficult position to answer to the question – what kind of and how much water can be relied on.<\/p>\n We need to create a shared global water information data base system.<\/p>\n We need to have an open-science-based validation mechanism for resilience and sustainability in water. We don\u2019t have that scientific backup as a whole system for the SDG implementation so it has to come to that level as well.<\/p>\n But for sustainable water management, it is definitely needed very, very urgently.<\/p>\n For reaching every policy decision, we need to provide a scientific backup \u2013 not only for the decision-taking but for the implementation as well.<\/p>\n We need to have global system of water cleaning centres and networks.<\/p>\n The most lacking capabilities in the implementation of SDG-6 and the sustainability transformation is the insufficient number of water experts at various levels.<\/p>\n That will not be able to be created on national levels alone. We need global network of institutions.<\/p>\n Last and not least, we need to reframe the economic cost of water inaction. We used to talk about how much it would cost to improve the water infrastructure, we used to talk about how much it would cost to include education system but we have never talked about how much how much water inaction costs.<\/p>\n In many, many countries now. We are losing much more money than what we imagined. So we need to be water and climate smart just the same way as we described by the Aware initiative. We need to make sure that the system we are trying to built is creating trust among membership, creating shared knowledge and resulting in improved deliberations.<\/p>\n To run to that course, the next big event which will be the UN Water Conference in March co-hosted event by the Ministers of Netherlands and Tajikistan, where the five themes for the discussion have been identified already. You wouldn\u2019t be surprised. All of them are cross-cutting issues. Then we turn our attention to Sendai Midterm Review in May, and all this leads up to the SDG Summit of World Leaders in September 2023<\/p>\n If we do this right we can achieve the following things.<\/p>\n First, we may have global, good understanding and forward-looking, strategy-making, solution-oriented game-changers for sustainable transformation.<\/p>\n Second, we can give a good blueprint of the implementation of the SDGs.<\/p>\n Last but not least, we can give the backbone of the transformation.<\/p>\n This is the project.<\/p>\n These are the leaders standing there.<\/p>\n These are all the big actors and they\u2019re all invited.<\/p>\n Please join us.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 14 November 2022 Thank you. I want to start by congratulating the Egyptian Presidency by having the first day focusing on water. Water is an integral part of the climate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" 10 November 2022<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\r\n Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is in crisis. It is in many crises.<\/p>\r\n It has been 15 months since the Taliban consolidated control over the country.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Its economy is in ruins. The humanitarian situation is disastrous.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Two-thirds of the population is hungry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Girls and women are banned from learning, having a job or getting proper medical care.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n The country is awash with heroin and opium.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Organized crime and terrorist organizations are thriving once again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is facing complex and interlinked challenges that the Taliban have shown they cannot \u2013 or would not \u2013 solve.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\r\n It is time to support the Afghan people with concrete solutions that place their needs front and center.<\/p>\r\n It is true that some problems will require some time to resolve.<\/p>\r\n But there are actions the Assembly can take to change the paradigm now.<\/p>\r\n I would like you to consider one solution through solidarity.<\/p>\r\n The UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan \u2013 which requires $4.4 billion US dollars \u2013 is only half funded.<\/p>\r\n With winter weather just weeks away, I encourage Member States to provide urgent support to help reduce the $2.3 billion dollar shortfall.<\/p>\r\n Let\u2019s remind ourselves of the old saying from Afghanistan: \u201cA real friend is one who takes the hand of his friend in times of distress and helplessness.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan has a rich history of scientific achievement.<\/p>\r\n I encourage the country\u2019s reengagement with the international science community.<\/p>\r\n And\u00a0to allow women who used to be respected members of the country\u2019s science community to resume their research and their studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Afghanistan is now the only state in the world that would deny girls their full right to education.<\/p>\r\n The prospect of girls\u2019 education has been left to uncertainty amid seemingly random edicts from the Taliban.<\/p>\r\n This time last year, Fawzia Koofi, the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, recalled her dream of one day addressing the UN as the President of Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n She said:\u00a0\u201cWith me, millions of girls and women in Afghanistan had this dream that now they think will never come true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Dreams of becoming President have been replaced by the reality of child marriage. Arrests if women and girls leave their home without a male chaperone.<\/p>\r\n I reiterate my call for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.<\/p>\r\n Similarly, I urge the Taliban to ensure the safety of all Afghans, regardless of gender, ethnic background, religious belief or political affiliation.<\/p>\r\n To protect journalists and civil society members.<\/p>\r\n To allow unhindered humanitarian aid, and to cooperate with humanitarian workers.<\/p>\r\n We expect the Taliban to make good on the commitments they made to the international community.\u00a0To show honesty through\u00a0concrete action.<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n The dramatic changes of 2021 have taken a massive toll on Afghanistan\u2019s economy and profoundly widened many security risks.<\/p>\r\n