Dear Members of the Press,
Good afternoon.
The UN 2023 Water Conference will conclude this afternoon.
Even before the Conference began, I was impressed by the immense interest it was generating.
The past three days have confirmed that water truly unites the world.
Thousands of participants from around the world have taken part in over 200 sessions held inside the UN, as well as the many more that have been held across New York City and virtually.
The five interactive dialogues of the Conference, four special events and hundreds of side events have gotten to the heart not only of what water is, but what it can be: a driver of equality, a solution to the climate crisis, a facilitator of peace, and much, much more.
20 Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents and Vice Prime Ministers; over 120 Ministers; and thousands of other representatives of governments, the UN system and stakeholders, including young people, civil society, private sector leaders, scientists and many more joined the conversations and deliberations.
Over the past three days, I have been meeting leaders and water advocates from around the world and I am encouraged to see how many partnerships have been launched here – addressing early warning systems, investment, service delivery.
There are two key outcomes of the Conference. First is the Water Action Agenda, which is a collection of new and ambitious commitments, initiatives and actions by governments, the UN system and stakeholders in support our world’s lifeblood. The other outcome will be a Summary of Proceedings by the President of the General Assembly to capture the many ideas, recommendations and solutions that have emerged.
The Water Action Agenda has grown in both size and scope since the Conference opened. Commitments have been shared throughout both official sessions and side events, with several commitments mobilizing millions, and in a few cases billions, of dollars for water action.
Looking through the Water Action Agenda, it is clear to see that governments, UN system, and stakeholders are paying attention to the cross-cutting and intersectoral nature of water, with around a quarter of commitments also relating to global targets on biodiversity, hunger and health. Even more – around half – also seek to contribute to climate action.
The commitments cover a wide range of actions, from capacity-building to data and monitoring systems, to improving the resilience of infrastructure.
There are now about 700 commitments in the agenda. And this is just the beginning. The online platform hosting the Water Action Agenda will remain open for submissions and available for all to view through the Conference website.
At the 2023 UN Water Conference a determined global community came together to make a difference not only for the future of water but for the future of the world.
I hope that the energy that we experienced at this Conference will flow on to the SDG Summit in September when the world gathers together to advance the transformative actions that we need, to realize all SDGs, and secure a sustainable future for everyone, everywhere, on a healthy planet.