BONN--Ten
years after the UN Conference on Environment and
Development, the world is preparing for the World
Summit on Sustainable Development. More than ever,
all people of the world need development, which
is sustainable: women and men, the old and the
young, the poor and the wealthy, people in the
North and the South. The challenge to turn the
concept of sustainable development into reality
is immense.
Water
is key to sustainable development. For all
three dimensions of sustainable development:
the social, economic and environmental. The
International Conference on Freshwater is
meeting in Bonn to review the role of water
issues for sustainable development, to take
stock of progress in the implementation of
Agenda 21, and to analyse the bottlenecks
preventing better achievement. Following
is a summary according to the Draft Recommendations
for Action:
KEY
AREAS OF WATER PROBLEMS
- 1.2 billion people
have no access to
safe and affordable
water and nearly
twice as many have
no proper sanitation.
- Pollution of water
resources is on the
increase, threatening
health and livelihoods.
- Water, a finite
resource, is becoming
scarce due to increasing
demands for food
production and unsustainable
water use patterns.
There is a need to
balance water uses:
water for food and
water for nature.
- There is not enough
co-operation with
regard to scare water
resources.
- Extreme flood and
droughts cause tremendous
suffering, and mostly
to the poor. There
is a need to cope
with climate change
and variability.
ACTION AREAS
- Governance, integrated
management and new
partnerships
- Mobilizing financial
resources
- Capacity development
and technology
transfer
Action in the field
of Governance
- Secure and equitable
access to public
water for all people
- Encourage private
sector providers
- Gender sensitive
water policies
need to be encouraged
- Share benefits
between transboundary
waters
- Balance cost
and benefits
of large
projects
such as dams
- Improve water
balance
through trade
of
goods
- Protect
water
quality from
pollution
- Design
better
system
to
cope
with
climate
change
and
variability
Action in the field
of Mobilising Financial
Resources
- Ensure significant
increase in funding
levels for water
and sanitation services
- Focus public funding
on poverty alleviation
and environmental
protection
- Allow water tariffs
to sustain operations
and investment
- Make water an
attractive
field of investment
Action in the field of
capacity Building and
Technology transfer
- Focus education
and training on water
wisdom
- Focus research
and data management
on
problem solving
- Make water institutions
more effective
- Enhance the development
and transfer
of innovative
technologies
to promote water
efficiency
|
