• About   |
  • Submit Guest Post |
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Second Angle (TSA Magazine)
Advertise
  • Infotainment
    • Sports
    • People
    • Inspiring
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Home & Decoration
  • Buzz
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
The Second Angle
No Result
View All Result
  • Infotainment
  • Entertainment
  • Buzz
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT
Home World News

Explained | What was the U.N. water conference and what happened there?

TSA Desk by TSA Desk
April 4, 2023
in World News
Reading Time: 6 mins read
Explained | What was the U.N. water conference and what happened there?
Share on FacebookShare on WhatsApp
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT

RelatedPosts

At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border

At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border

Chinese president Xi Jinping stresses U.S.-China cooperation in meeting with Bill Gates

Chinese president Xi Jinping stresses U.S.-China cooperation in meeting with Bill Gates

ADVERTISEMENT


The story so far: The United Nations 2023 Water Conference held in New York on March 22-24 was the first such meeting on water after 46 years. The conference coincided with the mid-term comprehensive review of the International Decade for Action. In a report entitled ‘Water for Sustainable Development 2018–2028’, the U.N. recognised the urgent need for action given that we are not on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) no. 6 for water: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.

Before the conference began, it had lofty ambitions: to identify game-changing ideas; to make recommendations to policymakers on how to speed- and scale-up change through capacity development, data and information, innovation, financing, and governance; to place water at the centre of the climate agenda in activities building up to the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York in July and the COP28 climate talks to be held in Dubai later this year.

Table of Contents
  • What is the water conference?
  • Was the new conference similarly effective?
  • What were the conference’s outcomes?

What is the water conference?

Such international conferences serve to better align activities by governments, companies, NGOs, and funders around a few grand challenges. They also help countries learn from the experiences of others, transfer technology, and invest.

The water sector is particularly prone to fragmentation because water problems tend to be local – like, say, a particular lake is polluted, a particular area gets frequently flooded or a particular slum doesn’t receive drinking water – and need local solutions. So there is an inherent problem of how we can mobilise globally to solve local water problems.

People walk on a flooded road in Sion, Mumbai, June 9, 2021.

People walk on a flooded road in Sion, Mumbai, June 9, 2021.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini

The last U.N. Water Conference was held in 1977, and it was groundbreaking in achieving just this. In particular, it resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ recognising 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, in fact.

Was the new conference similarly effective?

Negotiating such a declaration is singularly hard because, unlike 50 years ago, today’s problems are more complex.

While addressing access to safe drinking water and sanitation (SGD 6.1 and 6.2) was and is challenging, extending services to underserved populations is relatively uncontroversial: it comes down to finding the money to pay for it. Indeed, this is already occurring in India through government programmes such as Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission.

The challenge is that improving access to water and sanitation no longer translates directly to sustained access to water and sanitation. For example, we know of many drinking-water projects that have already failed because they drew too much groundwater or their water sources were contaminated. This in turn resulted in communities “slipping back” into having no access.

A farm worker applies pesticide at a paddy field near Ramanathapuram, on December 11, 2022.

A farm worker applies pesticide at a paddy field near Ramanathapuram, on December 11, 2022.
| Photo Credit:
L. Balachandar

Groundwater over-abstraction is mostly driven by agricultural pumping. But if we are to solve this over-abstraction problem in heavily irrigated places like Punjab or the Cauvery delta, there is just no other way than to pump less. There simply isn’t enough rainfall for everyone to grow paddy year-round; and while paddy has a minimum support price, other less water-intensive crops do not.

We also know farmers aren’t going to change their behaviour until agricultural policies change, which in turn requires many agencies and ministries to work together.

As such, the water problem is no longer about access to water and sanitation; these represent only two of the eight water-related SDGs. The remaining SDG 6 targets address the need to sustain agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems. They have metrics that track better governance, improve efficiency of irrigation water use, restore the water quality in lakes and rivers, and improve wastewater management.

These problems are inherently harder because they can’t be fixed by better infrastructure. They require tough political choices, empowering agencies, and strengthening democratic processes.

What were the conference’s outcomes?

In the end, 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 $50-billion commitment from the Indian government to improve rural drinking water services under its Jal Jeevan Mission.

A woman walks beside railway tracks in the rain in Guwahati, May 9, 2018.

A woman walks beside railway tracks in the rain in Guwahati, May 9, 2018.
| Photo Credit:
AP

The following are some commitments announced at the event, with examples of projects that showed potential:

Technology – There were specific innovations in wastewater treatment or solar treatment of water in remote areas, and a number of proposals for incubation platforms, including the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, focused on water management.

Data and models – Before every large investment, we must anticipate potential impact. Simulations are often important to do this, and they need large amounts of input data. Cost-effective approaches to data-generation included sensors and satellite data. Other efforts, like the World Meteorological Organisation’s Hydrological Status and Outlook System, offered data analysis tools.

Knowledge sharing – Solutions to most of these problems already exist, but each region and country often reinvents the wheel. We need to accelerate cross-learning. One useful tool here was the W12+ Blueprint, a UNESCO platform that hosts city profiles and case studies of programs, technologies, policies that addresses common water security challenges.

Capacity building – Many people lack access to basic services because they are unable to advocate for themselves and because infrastructure projects are designed for and by powerful actors in society. Efforts like the Making Rights Real initiative offered to help marginalised communities and women understand how to exercise their rights. Similarly, the ‘Water for Women Fund’ offered support mechanisms for more effective and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene outcomes for women.

Civil society – There were several platforms for collective action by civil society groups lobbying for changes in regulations, e.g. creating transnational networks to advocate for national and international bodies to criminalise the use of certain pesticides harmful to aquatic life.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance – The conference concluded that a big barrier to farmers and industries using water more efficiently is that they have no incentive. Specifically, farmers aren’t becoming more efficient or going pesticide-free unless consumers are willing to pay a premium for more sustainably produced goods.

Effective water governance hinges on these broad areas ,and weaving them into the Water Action Agenda is a step. But time will tell how we carry these commitments forward as we move into the HLPF and COP processes.

Dr. Veena Srinivasan is the Executive Director of Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs, a new research centre affiliated with IFMR Krea University. Views are personal.


ShareSendTweet

Related Posts

At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
World News

At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border

The Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, is accused of launching many attacks on civilians in recent years, notably on civilian...

Read more
Chinese president Xi Jinping stresses U.S.-China cooperation in meeting with Bill Gates
World News

Chinese president Xi Jinping stresses U.S.-China cooperation in meeting with Bill Gates

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Bill Gates, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing,...

Read more
U.S. guided-missile submarine arrives in South Korea amid North Korea’s missile tests
World News

U.S. guided-missile submarine arrives in South Korea amid North Korea’s missile tests

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Michigan approaches a naval base in Busan, South Korea | Photo Credit: AP The United States...

Read more
Morning Digest | Heavy rains pound Gujarat coast as cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall; South Manipur cut off as women-led vigilante groups block roads, and more
World News

Morning Digest | Heavy rains pound Gujarat coast as cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall; South Manipur cut off as women-led vigilante groups block roads, and more

Policemen stand guard on the Arabian Sea coast ahead of cyclone Biparjoy’s landfall at Mandvi in Kutch district of Gujarat...

Read more
Chinese Premier meets with Palestinian President in effort to increase Middle East presence
World News

Chinese Premier meets with Palestinian President in effort to increase Middle East presence

Chinese Premier Li Qiang (right) receives Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on...

Read more
Ukraine reports advances in early stages of counterattack
World News

Ukraine reports advances in early stages of counterattack

A tank from Ukraine’s 3rd Independent Tank Iron Brigade is seen at a position near the front line in Kharkiv...

Read more
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About

The Second Angle

The Second Angle (TSA) Magazine covers a broad spectrum of topics including Entertainment, Lifestyle, education, Crypto, iGaming, Technology, fashion, beauty, relationships, celebrities, wellness, travel, and food. It also features user-generated content in the form of tips, guest post, forums, polls, contests and other interactive articles.

Important Links

  • About
  • Guest Post
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
ADVERTISEMENT

© 2017-23. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Managed by SquareBase.io

No Result
View All Result
  • Infotainment
    • Sports
    • People
    • Inspiring
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Home & Decoration
  • Buzz
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology

© 2017-23. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Managed by SquareBase.io

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.