Video Message
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to join you at this Special Session on ‘Water as the Main Resource of the Future.’
I would like to thank the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation for organizing this session as a follow-up event to the UN 2023 Water Conference.
Water is the main input to our food. It is also crucial to our energy systems and central to our health. Its importance in securing a sustainable and resilient future is clear.
The hydrological cycle is a global common good that does not pay attention to borders. It is in our best interest to keep it in balance.
Too little water, in the form of drought, has led to more than 650,000 deaths in the last 50 years.
Too much water, in the form of flooding, has in the same period caused economic losses to the tune of 115 billion US dollars.
Water that is too dirty is also a major threat to human health and wellbeing worldwide.
But even with these challenges, the international community has the capacity to work with, rather than against, the hydrological cycle.
Through holistic and integrated management of water supply, water infrastructure and ecosystems, we can ensure that the future of this critical resource is protected.
This was the objective of the UN 2023 Water Conference, the first gathering of its kind in almost fifty years.
Nearly ten thousand delegates gathered at UN Headquarters two months ago to share innovative solutions for water in relation to health, climate, resilience, environment, and cooperation.
The Water Action Agenda – a main outcome of the Conference – demonstrates the collective will of the international community to safeguard the sustainable future of water resources.
Governments, stakeholders, private sector, academia, and the UN System have collectively submitted almost 800 commitments to the Water Action Agenda database. These represent a concerted effort to accelerate progress towards SDG 6.
This Agenda includes commitments from Russian partners to educate youth on water resources, organise shoreline clean-ups, and create a digital water data platform to improve information reliability for the Federal Agency for Water Resources.
The UN System stands ready to support these initiatives, and I hope this session’s discussions can contribute to ensuring access to water and sanitation for all by 2030.
I thank you for your support and commitments.