This year’s international World Water Day, including the United Nations Water Conference, is considered a great success by experts. The conference took place from 22 to 24 March and brought together representatives of UN member states as well as stakeholders from science, business and civil society. The core topic was the protection and conservation of the world’s water resources. The result of intensive discussions is the global “Water Action Agenda”. The participants of the conference submitted about 660 declarations of commitment.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke made five binding commitments for Germany:
1. implementation of the National Water Strategy (German water management is to be made fit for the future and sustainable).
2. bilateral project with the Democratic Republic of Congo within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (promotion of integrated water resource management from August 2023).
3. regional project with the Niger Basin Authority under the International Climate Initiative (support for a new project of the Niger Basin Authority to promote integrated water resources management between the riparian countries of the Niger Basin from September 2023).
4. bilateral project with South Africa within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (support for South Africa to make the water and sanitation sector more resilient to the climate crisis and thus ensure sustainable drinking water and sanitation supplies, especially for the disadvantaged population).
5. willingness to co-finance the UN Special Representative for Water (Germany has declared its willingness to contribute to the financing of the position of the UN Special Representative for Water).
We are looking forward to seeing how the projects and goals will develop.
Post from 20th April 2023