UN Water Conference 2023

26-08-2023

12:15 PM

1 min read

Mains GS-III: Environment & Ecology

What’s in today’s article?

Why in News?
What is the Water Conference?
About UN 2023 Water Conference
What was the Need for a Water Conference in 2023?
What were the Water Conference’s Outcomes?
About Jal Jeevan Mission
Key Facts for Prelims

Why in News?

Recently, the United Nations 2023 Water Conference was held in New York, USA.
It was co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan.

What is the Water Conference?

The first UN Water Conference was held in Argentina in 1977.
It was attended by 116 governments at the highest decision‐making level in the area of water as well as by numerous international and non‐governmental organizations.
It resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ recognizing that “all peoples, whatever their stage of development and social and economic conditions, have the right to have access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their basic needs.”
This declaration led to several decades of global funding and concerted effort to provide drinking water and sanitation for all.
These actions substantially reduced the population without access to safe drinking water in much of the developing world.

About UN 2023 Water Conference

Since the first UN Water Conference was held in Argentina in 1977, the Earth’s population has doubled to 8 billion people and demand for water is skyrocketing.
The UN 2023 Water Conference was, as the UN said, the most important water event in a generation.
Objective – To raise awareness of the global water crisis and decide on action to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals.
On March 22-24, it was co-hosted by Netherlands and Tajikistan.
The conference was based on the following five themes –
- Water for Health –
  - Access to 'WASH' (Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) including the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Water for Sustainable Development –
  - Valuing water, the water-energy-food nexus and sustainable economic and urban development.
- Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment –
  - Source to sea, biodiversity, climate, resilience and disaster risk reduction.
- Water for Cooperation –
  - Transboundary and international water cooperation, cross sectoral cooperation and water across the 2030 Agenda.
- Water Action Decade –
  - Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade for Action, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.

What was the Need for a Water Conference in 2023?

Since the late 1970s, when the last Water Conference took place, the world has been focused on the business of rapid growth and development.
But a growing global population – predicted by the UN to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 –means the demands on our water resources are far greater than 50 years ago.
Natural resources crises, including for water and food, come within the top 10 biggest risks facing humanity in the coming decade, in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023.
- It cites one UN estimate that places the gap between water demand and supply at 40% by 2030.
The World Meteorological Organization estimates that 3.6 billion people struggle to get enough water to meet their needs for at least one month every year.
- It forecasts that 5 billion people – more than half of humanity – will be facing the same plight by 2050.
It’s clear that we need to rethink our approach to how we can best allocate and value water, and that’s what this Conference was about.
This Conference was aimed at providing a roadmap for countries, sectors and river basins.

What were the Water Conference’s Outcomes?

The complexity of today’s water problems was reflected in the conference’s proceedings – a lot of talk, fragmented discussions, and no binding commitments.
Instead, there were 713 diverse voluntary commitments by philanthropic donors, governments, corporations, and NGOs.
120 of these were relevant to India. They included a USD 50-billion commitment from the India to improve rural drinking water services under its Jal Jeevan Mission.

About Jal Jeevan Mission

Jal Jeevan Mission is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on 15^th August, 2019.
Objective – To provide to all households in rural India safe and adequate water through individual household tap connections by 2024.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is based on a community approach to water.
According to the government, the mission includes Information, Education and Communication as key components.
The mission is meant to create a people's movement for water, making it everyone’s priority.

Key Facts for Prelims

W12+ Blueprint –
- W12+ Blueprint is a UNESCO platform hosting city proﬁles and case studies of programs, technologies, policies that addresses common water security challenges.
It is an online information tool for informing those working on urban water issues, thought leadership, and advocacy around global water solutions.

Q1) When was the UN established and why?

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

Q2) What are the six main agencies of the UN?

The main bodies of the United Nations are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established under the UN Charter when the Organization was founded in 1945.

Source: Explained | What was the U.N. water conference and what happened there? | World Economic Forum