Water deserves higher priority on development agenda – UN official
Water must be given higher priority on the
development agenda, a top United Nations official told a global
gathering that opened today in Istanbul, stressing that the problems
the world faces with regard to this precious resource are enormous.
“Developing countries themselves need to increase investment in water,
and systematically integrate water in poverty reduction strategies,”
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) told the opening of the 5th World Water Forum.
Mr. Matsuura presented the latest UN World Water Development Report,
which warns that the surging growth in global population, climate
change, widespread mismanagement and increasing demand for energy have
tightened the grip on the world’s evaporating water supplies.
As the world’s population has swollen to well over 6 billion people,
some countries have already reached the limits of their water
resources, according to the report compiled by over 20 UN agencies.
Also addressing the meeting, which runs until 22 March, the UN
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang said
that water and sanitation issues are critical to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally-agreed targets to slash extreme poverty and other ills by 2015.
Mr. Sha, who is representing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the
Forum, reminded participants that the world is lagging behind in
reaching its MDG target to reduce by half the proportion of the
population without access to basic sanitation services.
The Istanbul meeting comes ahead of International World Water Day,
observed annually on 22 March to focus attention on the importance of
freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater
resources.
Contact information | n/a |
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News type | Inbrief |
File link |
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30200&Cr=water&Cr1=report |
Source of information | UN |
Subject(s) | DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY |
Relation | http://www.worldwaterforum5.org/ |
Geographical coverage | Turkey, International |
News date | 19/03/2009 |
Working language(s) | ENGLISH |