ALMOST NO COUNTRY IS SPARED THREAT OF INCREASING STRESS ON WATER RESOURCES, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS FIRST WORLD WATER FORUM
Press Release
SG/SM/6185
ENV/DEV/404
ALMOST NO COUNTRY IS SPARED THREAT OF INCREASING STRESS ON WATER RESOURCES, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS FIRST WORLD WATER FORUM
19970321 ADVANCE TEXT Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be delivered by the Under-Secretary-General for Development Support and Management Services, Jin Yongjian, to the First World Water Forum, in Marrakesh, Morroco, on 22 March:It is my great privilege to convey a message to the First World Water Forum, which coincides with the celebration of World Water Day. I commend His Majesty, King Hassan II of Morocco, and the World Water Council for the outstanding role they have played in organizing this important meeting of high-level officials and experts in the field of water resources. This initiative represents a significant contribution to the efforts of the international community to address one of the most urgent issues on the global agenda.
The water resources upon which human life depends are under increasing stress. Almost no country is spared the threat. Over the next 30 years, more than 60 per cent of the world's population will face water-related problems.
One reason is ever-growing demand, particularly in developing countries. Anticipated world population growth from 5.5 billion to 8.5 billion by the year 2025 will generate an enormous increase in water consumption, beyond even the needs of the 1 billion people who now lack access to clean water and the 1.7 billion people currently without adequate sanitation. Moreover, for the first time, population is growing faster than are areas being brought under irrigation for agriculture.
A second problem is inadequate water management practices. Poor planning results in shortages, over-exploitation and the degradation of groundwater resources, for example by salt-water intrusions in coastal aquifers. Large reservoirs of surface water, which are necessary to compensate for annual and seasonal variations of inflow, can be tainted by unsound industrial and agricultural practices upstream, and can also have a strong negative impact on local and downstream systems of the river basin in which they are situated.
Financial constraints are a third area of concern. The construction and maintenance of reservoirs and other water-related infrastructure is expensive. In 1990, it was estimated that full coverage of drinking water-supply needs would require an investment of $50 billion per year worldwide until the year 2000. Member States and the donor community are far from meeting this challenge.
To reverse these troubling trends, new policies and strategies are being developed. Such strategies, to be effective, require a fusion of interrelated measures encompassing macroeconomics, water information systems, legal and institutional arrangements and water demand management.
Any sound plan of action or decision-making regime must also include, as an essential component, consensus-building among water users -- especially among users of transboundary water resources. Increasingly, dynamic planning within basin organizations and among riparian countries is being recognized as the most efficient means of responding to complex water resources issues. Users of the Nile's waters, for example, and of other international river basins and aquifers engage in constructive dialogue on a range of shared issues and needs.
But the complexity of water issues does not lend itself to management by central institutions alone. Much will depend on the creation of partnerships between water authorities at basin, district and municipal levels; between urban and rural communities; and between user groups and private servicing companies.
Solving the problems of water allocation, distribution and sanitation will also require the strengthening of national capabilities in integrated water resources management while striking the right balance among the responsibilities of the public and private sectors, the input of civil society, and environmental protection.
Pollution, which is growing at an alarming rate, must be discouraged through preventive measures, such as public campaigns and the identification of potential polluters. Monitoring networks should be established and maintained to provide all necessary information. The importance of flood prediction and protection cannot be overemphasized.
It is relevant to recall on this occasion the main recommendations of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Water and the Environment, which gathered in Dublin, Ireland, more than 150 representatives of Member States and world water specialists.
- 3 - Press Release SG/SM/6185 ENV/DEV/404 21 March 1997
First, the management of water resources must reconcile socio-economic development, technical constraints and protection of ecosystems through a combined use of land and water following an analysis of all possible alternatives.
Second, the early involvement of users, planners and decision-makers in the planning and management process at the lowest possible level is a prerequisite for ensuring the sustainability of developments affecting water resources.
Third, women should play a central role in the management and protection of water resources.
Fourth, in all its uses, water is an economic good, with significant social value.
I assure you of the full support of the United Nations for these principles. The United Nations system has long been an advocate of sustainable water management practices and water resource protection. Its development projects, focusing on simple solutions, low-cost technologies and community participation, have helped millions of people gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.
Water issues will be on the agenda of next month's session of the Commission on Sustainable Development and again in June at the special session of the General Assembly -- "Rio Plus Five" -- being held to review progress in the implementation of Agenda 21.
At both of these gatherings, Member States will be presented with a "Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World", undertaken by the United Nations system in cooperation with the Stockholm Environment Institute. The Assessment constitutes a major contribution to our efforts to solve the complex issues surrounding integrated water resources management throughout the world. I urge you to give it your most serious attention.
To all of you here in Marrakesh, I offer you my best wishes for a productive and successful outcome to your deliberations. The world's fragile and finite water resources -- our common heritage -- require our timely action, perseverance and commitment.
* *** *