Securing Water for All Will Require New Investment, New Partnerships, Secretary-General Says at Award Ceremony

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the award ceremony for the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, in New York today:

I am honoured to be with you today.  The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water rewards the crucial efforts of scientists, researchers and inventors around the world to address water challenges.

I congratulate today’s recipients for their pioneering work and achievements.  And I commend His Royal Highness for his efforts to advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation, and the valuable support he has given to innovation on water since 2002.

Water and sanitation are critical for peace, prosperity and dignity for all.  Yet, around the world, hundreds of millions of people still lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation.  The SDG pledge is that we will not leave them behind.

Growing populations, more water-intensive patterns, increasing variability of rainfall, and pollution are adding to the water challenge.  Science has a crucial role to play.  We must recognize science as a universal public good, strengthen science education, increase investment and promote an integrated scientific approach to sustainable development.

The 2030 Agenda recognizes the need to mobilize science at multiple levels and across disciplines.  We need to gather and create knowledge to lay the foundations for the policies, innovations and new technologies that will help us to address global challenges.  Securing water and sanitation for all will require new investment, new partnerships and new levels of international attention.

It will need cooperation among nations, communities and different sectors of society, including the science community.  I thank you all again for taking part in this very important ceremony and for the attention you are giving to this critical issue.  Let us continue working for a world where all people have access to water and sanitation they need.