Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,
I thank the President of the General Assembly, his Excellency Csaba Kőrösi, for convening this important meeting [in cooperation with the UN Water Chair], as we prepare for the 2023 UN Water Conference.
Allow me to also acknowledge the co-hosts of the Conference, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan, and thank them for championing this vital agenda.
Together with partner countries and stakeholder groups, they are fostering a strong movement across the water agenda, with the promise to rescue SDG6 and other water-related SDG targets.
I applaud the approach taken by the co-chairs to ensure an inclusive and action-focused process that develops coordinated solutions to wider, cross-sectoral and inter-connected sustainable development priorities.
Dear colleagues,
Water is a fundamental human right underpinning all aspects of life.
It is essential for the delivery of the SDGs, from poverty eradication to gender equality, food security, health and well-being.
Yet, the future of water remains challenged – with far reaching impacts on all sectors of society.
As President Kőrösi stated to the General Assembly last month, “the water crisis is poised to become our next greatest threat.”
Progress on SDG6 is clearly not on track.
Around the world we face unequal access to water and sanitation, essential services which are critical in our fight against infectious diseases.
By 2040, nearly 600 million children worldwide could be living in areas of extremely high-water stress.
The interlinked triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution continue to jeopardize water access, further impacting human lives and livelihoods.
Levels of freshwater discharges have been shrinking, impacting our food systems, hydroelectric energy production, water distribution, commercial navigation and sea water intrusion.
Increased flooding and other water-related natural disasters are also threatening many of our hard-earned sustainable development wins, by contaminating water sources and eliminating water points and sanitation facilities.
Excellencies,
Your leadership is critical to steer an inclusive agenda that manages water crises and clears a sustainable path forward.
As you engage in discussions on the themes of the 2023 UN Water Conference, I encourage you to be bold and to act with urgency.
The Conference provides a once in a generation opportunity to preserve this vital resource and ensure sustainable development of water and its resources – for people and planet.
It must serve as a catalyser for SDG implementation and other watershed moments under this Decade of Action, including the 2023 SDG Summit and the 2024 Summit of the Future.
But we need more ambition, renewed political will, inclusive partnerships, and greater investments.
Broad stakeholder mobilization will also be key for continued implementation across all sectors of society.
I am pleased to note that many stakeholder representatives participated in yesterday’s consultations, and I look forward to the results.
There are ample opportunities for collaboration, information exchange and guidance.
New initiatives – like the Water Action Agenda – offer additional platforms for transformative cooperation across Member States, the UN system and stakeholder groups.
The SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, launched in 2020, is mobilizing public-private actors around five accelerators for the development and deployment of innovative ideas.
I encourage everyone to use the Framework’s guidance for a coordinated country response on water issues, learning from real-world experiences and adjusting to changing realities.
Excellencies,
I look forward to your leadership to keep building momentum and to mobilize partners around this pivotal Agenda.
Together, we can secure access to clean water and sanitation for present and future generations.
Thank you.