The President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laj?ák identified sustainable development as a priority. Therefore, on World Water Day, 22 March 2018, he will launch the International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028 aiming to further improve cooperation, partnership and capacity development in response to the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Clean, accessible is critical water for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger, and it is indispensable for human development, health and well-being.
There is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. But water related challenges, including limited access to safe water and sanitation, increasing pressure on water resources and ecosystems, and an exacerbated risk of droughts and floods, remain high on the global agenda.
Recent milestone agreements, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and the Paris Agreement have placed water at their heart. Guaranteeing sustainable water management is a vital element to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant goals in the social, environmental and economic fields.
To implement these water related goals and targets building on the achievements of the previous Water for Life Decade 2005-2015, the International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028 aims to create a solid platform to advance cooperation and partnerships at all levels, and put a greater focus on the integrated management of water resources.
The Decade will contribute to the achievement of these goals by facilitating the sharing of good practices and providing a platform for advocacy, networking and partnership building.
This year’s theme explores how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century.
Environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the water-related crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes.
When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the water we need to survive and thrive.
Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of our water challenges. We need to do so much more with green’ infrastructure and harmonize it with grey’ infrastructure wherever possible. Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.
Sustainable Development Goal 6 ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 – includes a target to halve the proportion of untreated wastewater and increase water recycling and safe reuse.
World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water the UN’s inter-agency collaboration mechanism for all freshwater related issues – in collaboration with governments and partners.
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