NEW YORK, 14 October – The United Nations and partners are gearing up for next year’s international conference on water – a critical resource that sustains life on the planet.
“I cannot imagine an issue that is more serious and more urgent than water – including the issue of groundwater,” said Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly. “Simply said, our immediate and long-term future depend on it.”
He was speaking at an event, titled “Valuing the Invisible – Transboundary Groundwater Resources Cooperation”. Describing water as “our number one resource”, the Assembly President stressed the need for better cooperation in protecting and sharing it.
Mr. Kőrösi, whose motto is “solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science”, emphasized that his aim is to bring conversations about groundwater out of the circles of scientists and experts because it is a vital question of life and death for many, and also a vital question for the economy, food production, the industry, human settlements, and biodiversity.
The UN 2023 Water Conference, to be held in New York, from 22 to 24 March, is seen as the most important water event in a generation and will examine water-linked issues from various angles. The last UN conference on water was held in 1977 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
As part of preparations, the Assembly President will convene various stakeholders on 24 October for consultations to identify “game changers” that can help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and bring about transformative actions that go beyond the good practices and lessoned learned.
The stakeholders’ inputs will inform a day-long high-level preparatory meeting on 25 October, in which the themes of interactive dialogues of the UN 2023 Water Conference will be finalized.
For more information, visit UN 2023 Water Conference website.