INTERVIEW: Overturning water crisis with game-changing pledges, calling on countries to co-host UN conference

Bringing together Governments, organisations, banks, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), youth, women, indigenous peoples and many other stakeholders from around the world, UN Water Conference 2023 (March 22 to 24) will seek game-changing solutions to the multifaceted global crisis of ‘too much water’, such as storms and floods; ‘too little water’, such as drought and scarcity of groundwater; and ‘too dirty water’, such as contaminated drinking water.

The Ambassadors of the co-organizers of the Conference, Yoka Brandt, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN, and Jonibek Ismoil Hikmat, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the UN, spoke on the issues being addressed. threatened and discussed the way the world. can unite because underwater action.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

United Nations News: Why is water a very important issue for your country and the rest of the world?

Yoka Brandt: For us, water has been, is and will always be a top priority. Our country, with its low-lying river delta in the North Sea and small islands in the Caribbean, is shaped entirely by water. Over the centuries, we have had a lot of experience dealing with and living with water. And like everyone else, we are constantly faced with new challenges, such as droughts and floods, and the consequences of rising sea levels in both Europe and the Caribbean.

Despite these challenges, water can be a tool of summoning and connection, and if managed well, it can even be a catalyst for equity, prosperity and sustainability. Over 900 years ago, our nation recognized the ability of water to be a foundation to bring us together beyond divisions and interests and across the borders and barriers we have created. This has been institutionalized through our water management model and partnerships with regional water authorities. Water security is deeply embedded in our laws, policies and budgets. And we continue to explore with others new avenues and approaches for how to prepare for and revalue water for the benefit of all and for our planet.

Jonibek Hikmat: Water is close to our hearts. Tajikistan is a mountainous country endowed with abundant water resources. For more than two decades, it has actively supported this noble cause through water-related initiatives. To date, our Government has initiated eight resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly related to water. Our global initiatives on fresh water, international cooperation, water for life and now water for sustainable development have contributed greatly to the advancement of related goals. to the water. Indeed, partnership and cooperation are two great formulas for our success on this journey, which brings both upstream and downstream countries as co-hosts to lead the important Conference. and ambitious.

United Nations News: Is the world on track to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals by 2030?

Jonibek Hikmat: The progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and other Goals are delayed due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis and conflict. We have to work four times faster to stay on track SDG 6 – to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Water Conference is a good opportunity for all of us to review and evaluate the progress achieved as well as the shortcomings and limitations encountered in the implementation of these goals. This is also a good opportunity to strengthen cooperation and partnership to promote and promote actions for water.

United Nations News: In your vision statement for the Conference, you described water as a “mediator” for a more sustainable and inclusive world. Can you explain the connection between water and achievement of Sustainable development goals?

Yoka Brandt: Without water there is no life. Water is fundamental to our daily lives and is directly linked to health, climate, economic development, etc. Water scarcity undermines food security and health, and at the same time affects negatively impact our energy supply and climate goals. Too much water exposes our communities to storms, rain, and flooding. Pollution and lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities severely hamper opportunities, especially for women and girls, and cost lives. theirs is in danger. Therefore, finding water solutions can make a significant contribution to the achievement of all the SDGs.

Water links all of the serious challenges of our time, from food and energy security to health and climate change. Last year’s floods, in Pakistan and Nigeria, and severe drought and wildfires in the Amazon and Australian rainforests are stark reminders of the power of water that can turn lives upside down and threaten health, safety and well-being. safety, our food and our environment. The COVID-19 pandemic also reminds us that lack of access to clean water and sanitation is creating unprecedented risks and vulnerabilities, in which women and girls are not have equal opportunity to participate in society.

United Nations News: What are the key expectations for the Conference?

Yoka Brandt: We need a Parisian moment for water. Sun Secretary General António Guterres stated recently, we need to act decisively before it’s too late. And we need to act with transformative commitments. This is what we want to do at Water Conference because we need more partnerships, more investments and more action. We need a Water Action Program with bold commitments to accelerate the implementation of the Decade of Water Action and Agenda 2030.

Jonibek Hikmat: A successful Conference must be inclusive in terms of both process and outcomes, leaving no one behind, with strong participation from the Southern Hemisphere and relevant groups such as women, youth and other stakeholders. indigenous group. A successful conference must also be interdisciplinary, mobilizing all other sectors to improve the way water resources are used and managed. A successful conference must be action-oriented. On March 24, we will present a Action program for water, is filled with transformative and game-changing commitments that can really accelerate progress toward water-related goals. We don’t need a Conference with bold statements. We need a Conference with bold commitments and audacity to put these commitments into action. We need commitments from Government, civil society and the private sector from around the world.

UN News: What is needed to ensure a water safe world for all?

Yoka Brandt: Business as usual is not enough to achieve the water SDGs, water related goals and global water security. Ahead of the Conference, the Government, the United Nations, civil society organizations, businesses, investors, local communities, youth and many other stakeholders are joining hands to make a difference by making a difference. how to initiate commitments because Action program for water. As a Member State of the United Nations, we are also stepping up national and international efforts. For example, we created the Global Commission on the Water Economy to look at new policies, approaches and partnerships that go beyond traditional economic thinking to radically change the way we understand, see, and understand. respect and manage water as a common good. We will also invest in better data to improve our response to water-related disasters, we will increase access to water and sanitation to reach those left behind and we will invest more in solutions to address climate change, hunger and biodiversity loss.

Jonibek Hikmat: We initiated both the ‘Water for Life’ International Decade, 2002-2015 and the ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, 2018-2028. We also launched the Dushanbe Water Process – the biennial international conference on water. The second such conference to be held in our country in June 2022 adopted the Dushanbe Declaration, which included important messages aimed at uniting global efforts, making new commitments, and at the same time strengthen and promote actions and partnerships to achieve the goals of the Joint Declaration. Decade of action for water.

United Nations News: What is the role of youth in addressing water-related challenges?

Yoka Brandt: The Water Conference offers a unique opportunity to unite the world for water. We aim to bring people together and have all different voices heard. Youth plays a very important part in this. Their voices, ideas and solutions are vital to addressing today’s water-related challenges. The co-organizers are fully committed to involving youth in the entire process: from preparation to follow-up.

United Nations News: With the UN SDG . Summit In the immediate future in September 2023 and Future Summit in 2024, what are the next steps to advance the global water agenda after the Water Conference?

Jonibek Hikmat: The Water Action Program is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. We want to use existing structures as much as possible, both in terms of implementation as well as monitoring and reporting. Therefore, tracking these commits should be included in existing structures such as SDG . Summit in September and the Future Summit in 2024.