‘Our watershed moment: uniting the world for water’

Toespraak | 22-03-2022

'Water presents us with a great opportunity. Water can be the dealmaker, the leverage point for a green economy, climate resilience and a more sustainable and inclusive world. This is why we need to create a watershed moment. And that’s why the Netherlands and Tajikistan will co-host the UN 2023 Water Conference at UN Headquarters in New York next year.' 

'Water is the stuff of life and the urgency of water-related challenges is nothing new. We’ve been discussing measures and action for many years. Many of the challenges were already known at the time of the last UN-Water Conference in 1977. And with climate change the urgency is only increasing. So, the UN 2023 Water Conference will not be about words.

Dat zei minister Harbers op 22 maart 2022 in zijn videospeech tijdens het 9de World Water Forum, Dakar, Senegal.

Colleagues and friends,

Today is our day: World Water Day.

Water is a fundamental part of all aspects of life on our planet.It helps us grow our crops, cook our food, ship goods, grow our economies, stimulate development and stay healthy and clean. 

Water is a cross-cutting issue and is essential to the achievement of many Sustainable Development Goals. It’s a key element in our challenges on climate change, energy, cities, the environment, food security, poverty, gender equality and health, and many others.

Crystal clear: water is a close ally to humanity.

Obviously, we have good reasons to be grateful. So we must ask ourselves: are we a good ally to water?

With climate change profoundly affecting our economies, societies and environment, water has become a challenge too. Sufficient, clean and well-managed water is essential to achieving the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

However, water not only presents us with challenges. It also presents us with a great opportunity. Water can be the dealmaker, the leverage point for a green economy, climate resilience and a more sustainable and inclusive world.

This is why we need to create a watershed moment. And that’s why the Netherlands and Tajikistan will co-host the UN 2023 Water Conference at UN Headquarters in New York next year.

Together with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and with support of UN-Water we aim to make this first UN Water Conference in almost 50 years a worldwide game changer. All UN member states will come together to talk about the future of water and quality of life for future generations

Water is the stuff of life and the urgency of water-related challenges is nothing new. We’ve been discussing measures and action for many years.

Many of the challenges were already known at the time of the last UN-Water Conference in 1977. And with climate change the urgency is only increasing.

So, this conference will not just be about words: It will be action-oriented: we want to achieve tangible results through concrete actions and plans on the ground.

It also will be inclusive: everyone will be involved in the Road to the UN 2023 Water Conference. No-one will be left behind!

Our approach will be cross-sectoral: we will mobilise all relevant sectors to improve the way they manage and utilise water resources. These sectors need to bring their plans and actions to the conference.

Colleagues and friends,

We have 365 days to go, and a lot of work to do.

With the challenges we face, our goals are:

• to scale up finance and funding by governments, multilateral development banks and the private sector;
• to scale up and replicate actions and best practices
• to develop water management innovations to get the world on track;
• to create a framework for measuring the results of the conference;
• to improve governance, increase solidarity and cooperation; and
• to set an agenda beyond 2030.

Today is our chance to bring together our hopes and ambitions. To discuss expectations, input and the way forward.

What do you need?, What can you do to keep our planet a safe place to live? How do we unite and remain a close ally to water?

For now, I’ll leave you with these questions in the capable hands of your moderator Sulton Rahimzoda.

I’d like to close with something King Willem Alexander said when he led the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water & Sanitation: ‘Every day is World Water Day.’

I’m looking forward to meeting with you soon. Have a productive day.