United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for significant commitments and investment Wednesday to avert a growing global water crisis at the start of a major conference on the issue. Guterres underscored that water is a human right and critical to development that will shape a better global future, noting that climate action and sustainable water are two sides of the same coin.
“Water is a human right — and a common development denominator to shape a better future,” Antonio Guterres told a packed UN General Assembly Hall. “But water is in deep trouble.”
The three-day UN 2023 Water Conference, which kicked off on World Water Day, is the first of its kind in 46 years. Activists and experts say the ongoing water crisis is a threat to the entire planet. According to the United Nations, a quarter of the planet — 2 billion people — does not have access to safe drinking water. And it will only worsen. By 2030, the demand for fresh water is expected to exceed supply by 40 percent globally.
“We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating”, Guterres said. “We’ve broken the water cycle, destroyed ecosystems and contaminated groundwater. Nearly three out of four natural disasters are linked to water.“
Meanwhile, half the world — 3.6 billion people — live without safely managed sanitation. Of those, 1.7 billion people lack basic sanitation, and half a billion people practice open defecation. 2.3 billion people lack basic hygiene services, including such simple things as soap and water at home.
At least 1.4 million people die each year from preventable causes linked to unsafe water, water-related diseases and poor sanitation. Among them are an estimated 446,000 children under five that die from diarrhea. According to the World Health Organization, Cholera and other water-related diseases are once again on the rise.
Guterres urged massive investment in water and sanitation systems, saying the international community cannot manage an emergency with outdated infrastructure.
Climate change is accelerating the water problem, contributing to both severe drought and floods.
“Climate action and a sustainable water future are two sides of the same coin,” the Secretary-General said. “We must spare no effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and deliver climate justice to developing countries.”
“This is more than a conference on water”, Guterres added. “It is a conference on today’s world seen from the perspective of its most important resource. This conference must represent a quantum leap in the capacity of Member States and the international community to recognize and act upon the vital importance of water to our world’s sustainability and as a tool to foster peace and international co-operation.”
Conference organizers say game changing action is needed now to manage water better and achieve international water goals and targets to prevent a more severe crisis. The Netherlands and Tajikistan are co-hosting the conference, which aims to get hundreds more commitments from governments, the private sector and civil society by the end of this week for its Water Action Agenda.
“Everything we need to live a decent life is related to water — our health, food, safety, habitat, economy, infrastructure and climate,” Dutch King Willem-Alexander said at the conference. “Water security is one of the defining concerns of our time and will determine our collective sustainable future.”
The UN 2023 Water Conference will be a watershed moment to mobilize Member States, the UN system and stakeholders alike to take action and bring solutions to a global scale. The conference is expected to adopt the Water Action Agenda as a main outcome representing voluntary commitments of countries and stakeholders to meet the global water-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.