The Netherlands and Tajikistan will host the United Nations Water Conference in New York from 22 to 24 March 2023, for the first time in nearly five decades, as it is the first United Nations conference on water since 1977.
The conference is being hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands because sustainable water management for both countries is crucial despite their different water challenges, according to a statement issued by the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo.
According to the statement, Tajikistan, as an upstream country, also enjoys abundant water resources, however, there is an increase in climate-induced risks, such as floods, and climate change is causing temperatures to rise, causing glaciers to melt earlier and faster, which is one of the sources. major fresh water in the world. Rising temperatures also lead to frequent heavy rains and consequently floods, so Tajikistan has launched five global water management initiatives, the latest of which is related to the protection of glaciers. This is why the UN Water Agenda is called the Dushanbe Process.
For the Netherlands, as a downstream country for many river basins, controlling the amount or quality of water entering the country is out of their hands, so proactive cooperation with upstream countries in river basins is crucial to obtain a sufficient amount of water of good quality or to avoid excess water causing For floods, and the expected effects of climate change are to change the harsh weather conditions to become more severe in addition to the rise in sea level, and coastal protection based on nature is applied as one of the solutions to adapt to the climate.
The statement pointed out that the main objective of the United Nations Water Conference is to place water at the highest level of concern in addition to accelerating collective action, financing and ambition on water across multiple sectors. Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as all other global water-related goals and targets.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated: “The 2023 UN Water Conference must result in a bold water agenda that gives the lifeline to our world the commitment it deserves.”
The conference will be action-oriented, inclusive and multi-sectoral. The three days will include six plenary sessions, five interactive multi-stakeholder dialogues and four high-level special events, highlighting the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration. Numerous side events will be organized by Member States, the UN system and stakeholders. Other interest, will also be provided live via UN Web TV.
The five multi-stakeholder interactive dialogues will address the following topics: Water for Health, co-chaired by the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, Water for Sustainable Development: co-chaired by China and the European Union, and Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: co-chaired by Egypt and Japan, Water for Cooperation: co-chaired by Senegal and Switzerland, and Water Action Decade: co-chaired by Singapore and the United States
The statement indicated that the United Nations Water Conference 2023 and its action agenda is not an end in itself, but rather the real beginning for the world to take the water issue seriously across topics and sectors, and the water agenda is the beginning of the work of all participants in the conference and beyond towards a more resilient and secure world. water for all, which enhances water delivery and increases the ability to benefit from it.
It should be noted that in addition to the plenary and interactive sessions with the participation of heads of delegations, also within the framework of the conference, more than 200 side events will be organized exclusively at the United Nations Headquarters and more than 200 other events will be organized outside the organization or via the Internet on the days of the conference.
President of the Republic Emomali Rahmon from the Republic of Tajikistan and from the Kingdom of the Netherlands King Willem-Alexander will participate in the United Nations Water Conference.
Source: Yum7