Dr. Arvind Kumar*
The cooperation and alignment are necessary, need to be scaled up, and require commitment and strong leadership. By promoting cooperation, coordination, and alignment of policies and regulations, we can achieve more efficient, equitable, and sustainable management of water resources while minimizing conflicts and enhancing protection against water hazards. We cannot afford another 46-year delay on water action. By making bold, measurable commitments, we can ensure a water-abundant future for all communities around the world.
The time is to #ACTNOW on water. Despite being an asset that permeates all aspect of our life providing us with sustenance, essential to our survival, and has the power to have a significant impact on geopolitics all too often, water has been undervalued as a resource, and its benefits for ecosystems services and human development grossly underestimated. When the true value of water in our society is not acknowledged, it is difficult to grasp the depth of the problem. It defines and crosses borders all around the world. With over 40% of the world’s population affected by water scarcity conditions, the highest level of legitimacy in the world is bestowed to a topic by a conference.
Policy and institutional fragmentation poses significant challenges to efficient SDG6 achievement often leading to conflicts among water resource users and hindering equitable access. Overlapping mandates and gaps in governance result in missed opportunities and inefficient use of resources. The upcoming UN 2023 Water Conference is the first UN conference on water since 1977, comes at a critical moment: the world is not on track to achieve SDG 6 and related goals and targets by 2030. The world of water has become crowded with organizations, meetings, targets, declarations and pathways. We have a unique opportunity at the UN Water Conference in 2023 to overcome this division and declare a shared vision for the future that both political leaders of UN Member States and water experts can support. We have to cut through that fragmentation and affirm a common vision for the years ahead that can be shared by all and the “Water Action Agenda” in the form of voluntary commitments. This Water Action Agenda will be the main outcome of the Conference.
The UN Water Conference will be a real opportunity world to put water higher up on the global agenda for the next decade and beyond. To address the challenges hindering our progress it is crucial to establish coordinated and integrated water management frameworks that bring together diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society, private sector actors, and communities. Such frameworks can facilitate the sharing of information and expertise, promote transparency and accountability, and foster equitable and inclusive decision-making processes. We look towards this conference to facilitate the same.
To keep the momentum going
The world has not managed to take decisive action to tackle the global water crisis, and many issues discussed at the first UN conference on freshwater back in 1977 remain unresolved. It is hoped that the UN 2023 Water Conference will make more people understand that we need to radically change how water is used, managed and valued. Compared to fifty years ago we now have a much better understanding of global water challenges and the world has committed to solving many of them for example through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015. But progress has been alarmingly slow, and it is the role of the UN 2023 Water Conference to get the process back on track.
The focus of the Conference is not to negotiate new commitments but to make sure that countries deliver on promises already made and it is designed to be action-oriented, inclusive and cross-sectoral. The aim is to fast-track water action since the world will otherwise miss many water-related goals like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Commitments made must be tangible and action oriented. We for example need a fourfold increase in ambition to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation, according to the Global Accelerator Framework for SDG 6.
Obviously, this is not something governments can fix on their own all sectors of society need to be involved. Anyone can contribute to the Water Action Agenda and the initiatives from cities, regions, NGOs, and businesses will be crucial to its success. We have to offer guidance on good water governance and provide capacity-building and support to other organizations to facilitate their implementation of commitments made to the Water Action Agenda. Furthermore, World Water Week 2023 is centred on innovation and will have a strong focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing to achieve important water-related goals.
Water’s role is rising with Climate Change
Water is an impact multiplier for sustainability and inextricably linked to climate change and the degradation of ecosystems. Ninety per cent of natural disasters are water-related – whether flood, drought, or super-storm – causing millions in damages annually. With each passing year, there are more record-setting wet and dry seasons, affecting livelihoods, creating supply chain disruptions and leaving communities devastated. Simultaneously, these disasters are also becoming more challenging for communities to recover from in the face of mounting crises including a global economic slowdown, food shortages and energy disruptions.
These current crises are symptoms of more systemic issues, ones that we must address alongside short-term issues to achieve the sustainable development goals. Water is most frequently undervalued in areas that appear to have it in abundance. But as climate change continues to cause fluctuations in weather patterns, understanding the water footprint of all industries is necessary to give proper weight to the value of potable water available for us. With proper value comes better pricing and governance, showing the importance of placing water at the heart of business strategy to catalyze climate positive change across supply chains.
Looking ahead
Although if not all of these measures are applicable everywhere in the world, they all support net zero initiatives and the Sustainable Development Goals, which share the same objectives as the UN Conference. Global issues that affect multiple sectors, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change, are being addressed through the water sector. We will get a chance to examine the actual issues that nations are facing, pay attention to the concerns of important stakeholders, and introduce useful techniques for enhancing the management of shared waterways at this conference. As access to water is a fundamental human right regardless of location, governments, corporations, and civil society must all support organisations working to alleviate community water scarcity challenges. The cooperation and alignment are necessary, need to be scaled up, and require commitment and strong leadership. By promoting cooperation, coordination, and alignment of policies and regulations, we can achieve more efficient, equitable, and sustainable management of water resources while minimizing conflicts and enhancing protection against water hazards. We cannot afford another 46-year delay on water action. By making bold, measurable commitments, we can ensure a water-abundant future for all communities around the world.
*President, India Water Foundation
