New agenda sets sail with bold action as UN Water Conference closes
The Agenda outlines several commitments designed to alter the game, from adopting wiser food choices to reassessing water as a potent economic engine and a component of Earth’s cultural history.
Future with access to water for all
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the meeting and its 2,000 attendees created an “ambitious vision.”
According to him, “Your commitment to action and transformation is advancing us towards a sustainable, egalitarian, and inclusive future that is water secure for people and the planet alike.” This meeting “demonstrated a key truth: water unifies us all and flows across a multitude of global concerns as humanity’s most valuable global common good.”
At a time when the globe is battling climate change, water shortages, and pollution, natural resource also flows through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), from preventing the spread of illness to combating poverty.
Because of this, he stated, “water needs to be at the top of the global political agenda.” The realization of the Water Action Agenda depends, in certain respects, on establishing a new scientific trajectory for mankind.
As a result, proactive steps will be taken to accomplish the SDGs, such as creating new, alternative food systems to lessen the unsustainable use of water in agriculture and establishing a new global information system to direct plans and priorities. A Special Envoy for water would be appointed before the SDG Summit in September, he added, adding that this is a new idea.
The Water Action Agenda is only the start.
More than 2,000 government representatives, scientists, academics, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, businesspeople, and youth delegates attended the conference, which was held at the UN Headquarters from March 22 to 24. They provided a variety of perspectives and expertise to help navigate the challenges ahead.
According to Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, the pledges made under the Water Action Agenda include a wide variety of activities, from strengthening infrastructure resilience to building capacity to developing data and monitoring systems.
He answered, “This is only the beginning. The website for the Water Action Agenda will continue to accept submissions and be accessible to everyone through the Conference website.
The UN General Assembly President’s report of the conference, which will include the numerous suggestions, solutions, and ideas that came up during the five interactive dialogues, four special events, and hundreds of side events, will be another important consequence, he added.
“A determined global community joined together at the 2023 UN Water Conference to make a difference not just for the future of water but also for the future of the globe,” he stated.
“A moment in history”
The $300 billion in commitments pledged to support the revolutionary Water Action Agenda, according to General Assembly President Csaba Krösi, have the potential to generate at least $1 trillion in socioeconomic and environmental advantages.
In his concluding remarks, he observed, “The conclusion of this meeting does not constitute a binding legal instrument, but it nonetheless turns the page of history. “You have reiterated the commitment to upholding everyone’s human right to water and sanitation.”
To do that, he added, you must reach the millions of people who have never heard of this meeting.
As we proceed to bring about the transition mentioned, we will keep our eyes and ears open for scientific data, he added
He said that the involvement of the corporate sector and civil society in more inclusive partnerships and solutions are “essential to our success” and is at the core of this transition.
He declared, “Today, we possess the building blocks of a water-secure and more tranquil planet in our hands. Together, we can start the shift towards a world with safe access to water, and these game-changers will lead the way.
“Our shared future”
When Member States take action over the second part of the Water Action Decade, the Secretary-General promised UN assistance “every step of the way.”
Expressing gratitude for all parties involved, Mr. Guterres stated that “water is essential for sustainable development.” “Let’s reaffirm our commitment to our shared future as we adjourn this historic meeting. Let’s continue on our path toward a future where everyone has access to clean water.
