The United Nations 2023 Water Conference was held at UN Headquarters in New York from 22-24 March 2023. The Conference focused on the “Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, 2018–2028”. The Governments of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands are co-hosts of the Conference. The meetings put a spotlight on the sustainable development and integrated management of water resources for the achievement of social, economic and environmental objectives, the implementation and promotion of related programmes and projects, as well as on the furtherance of cooperation and partnerships at all levels. The outcome of the Conference was a summary that will feed into the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) held in July 2023. 

The Conference brought together world leaders, civil society, business leaders, young people, scientists, academics, the UN System and others from across sectors — agriculture, energy, environment and water — around a common goal: to urgently tackle the water crisis and set the world back on track to achieving.“The commitments at this Conference will propel humanity towards the water-secure future every person on the planet needs,” noted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the closing ceremony. To achieve this, the Secretary-General highlighted key game-changers: from reinforcing water’s place as a fundamental human right and reducing the pressures on the hydrological system, to developing new, alternative food systems to reduce the unsustainable use of water in food production and agriculture and designing and implementing a new global water information system to guide plans and priorities by 2030. The Secretary-General also advocated for integrating the approach on water, ecosystems and climate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen communities — from resilient infrastructure, water pipelines and wastewater treatment plans, to ensuring every person in the world is protected with early warning systems against natural disasters by 2027; and continued to press for climate justice and global action to limit global warming to a 1.5-degree rise. Lastly, he called for a dramatic acceleration in resources AND investment into the ability of all countries to reach SDG 6.

Many countries are currently facing a water crisis but I’m highly interested in the problem of Sierra Leone, a country of Africa Continent. Major water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Sierra Leone are the low levels of use of basic sanitation services, access to safe/quality drinking water and inadequate use of safe hygiene practices by children and their families. The determination of these priority concerns is based on the available evidence derived from the analysis of the national WASH situation. Only 16% of the population have access to basic sanitation services with 28% defecating in the open while 58% and 23% have no access to basic water services and practicing sage hygiene practices respectively. I like the work UNICEF is doing in Sierra Leone. They are providing more and more support to ensure water accessibility in that area.

I’m also interested in the Water Action Plan taken by the Government of Bangladesh. They are highly concerned about Water Security. I think their problems are similar to our problems. Like Odisha they are always facing Cyclone, Drought and floods problems. Bangladesh is high on the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change, ranking seventh on the 2021 World Climate Risk Index. Among the countries most affected by extreme climate conditions, it only contributes a small share of global emissions. Climate change-induced natural disasters plague Bangladesh due to its geographic location and flat, low-lying topography. High population density, poverty and reliance on climate-sensitive sectors for water and food security, particularly water resources, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, increasing its vulnerability to climate change. Climate-induced disasters such as tropical cyclones and storm surges, monsoon floods, flash floods, droughts, sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, ocean acidification, etc. Their Prime Minister is very careful about Water Security And Climate Change.

The speakers of the United Nations Water Conference are mostly aggressive. They are highly concerned about the Climate Emergency. They want participation of youth in the different Climate Policy process. They all demand a proper Action for Climate Change. Speakers like Xuan Global Focal Point of YOUNGO, leading all the youths of the world demand a suitable and effective action plan for water crisis and insecurity. “The commitments at this Conference will propel humanity towards the water-secure future every person on the planet needs,” noted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the closing ceremony. To achieve this, the Secretary-General highlighted key game-changers: from reinforcing water’s place as a fundamental human right and reducing the pressures on the hydrological system, to developing new, alternative food systems to reduce the unsustainable use of water in food production and agriculture and designing and implementing a new global water information system to guide plans and priorities by 2030. “At the 2023 UN Water Conference a determined global community came together to make a difference not only for the future of water but for the future of the world,” said Mr. Li Junhua, the UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Conference Secretary-General. 

Thanks to the United Nations for organizing the UN 2023 Water Conference. This event is crucial in addressing the challenges that the world faces especially in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster risk reduction. As young people, we recognize that water is a vital resource that underpins the sustainable development of our planet. Water scarcity is one of the biggest challenges facing our generation. We call on world leaders to take bold action to ensure access to clean and safe water for all. As young people, we are committed to finding innovative solutions to water challenges. We believe that technology can play a critical role in improving water management and increasing access to safe drinking water. We call on governments and industry leaders to invest in research and development to create sustainable, low-cost solutions that can be deployed at scale.

The results of the UN 2023 Water Conference will be monitored by the United Nations and the conversations will continue at the two big meetings about progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that will take place this year. The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July will review a few select Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 6 on water and sanitation. In September, the SDG Summit will assess progress on the whole 2030 Agenda and discuss how it can help us address today’s many interlinked crises.