The UN 2023 Water Conference (22-24 March, 2023) saw the adoption of the Water Action Agenda, representing voluntary commitments of nations and stakeholders to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets connected to water.
Bold commitments are required to ensure the well-being and prosperity of both people and the planet, to achieve the SDGs and to meet biodiversity and climate targets.
Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking water and sanitation, even though access to both services has long been defined as a human right. Water, inequalities and the environment are closely linked. A lack of sanitation access is a major cause of water pollution, which in turn is hindering the availability of water for drinking and other essential uses and services.
Without enough water at the right time in the right quality, there is no sustainable development, including security, food and energy access.
What UNEP did at the UN Water Conference:
- Report Launch: Measuring Progress: Water-related ecosystems and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
- Co-leading the drafting of the concept note for Interactive Dialogue 3: “Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction,” where a strong recommendation is being made to raise the value of wetlands as nature-based solutions.
- Co-leading on the chapter for the Environment for the 2023 World Water Development Report
- Side Event: Circular Economy – a key component of a water-smart society
- Side Event: Stronger together: Building resilience and prosperity through integrated and evidence-based management of the Ocean–Water continuum
- Side Event: Groundwater: An Invisible Cross-Sectoral Fundament for Implementation of the Water Action Agenda
- Side Event: Global Network of Isotope-enabled Water Analysis Laboratories"
- Exhibit: Walk of Water Exhibition
- Side Event: Sustainable Lake Management - a catalyst to accelerate global commitment to the Water Action Agenda
- Side Event: Wastewater surveillance for public health monitoring: using the one-health approach to meeting the SDGs
- Side Event: Source-to-sea collaboration: A game changer for the whole water cycle
