World Water Day : high-level meeting at The Hague for the UN’s year of international cooperation in the water field
Update 2015-04-02
On 21 and 22 March 2013, Bart Devos and Gérard Payen, members of the FWP, took part in the high-level meeting held at The Hague. This international meeting was an important gathering of eminent personalities, governments, civil society and the private sector.
The first day was dedicated to the “Wings for Water – Wake-up Call for Water Cooperation” dialogue which discussed the international work and exchanges undertaken in recent months (the Monrovia meeting in January and the Geneva meeting in February) as part of the United Nations’ thematic consultations on water and sanitation to define the future worldwide development goals and sustainable development goals for the year 2015.
This first day led to policy recommendations for taking water and sanitation into account in the post-2012 development agenda. Bart Devos, President of the Youth Parliament for Water, was behind preparing these recommendations. The recommendations propose a world for the year 2050 which :
– Adopts a cross-cutting approach to water taking into account agriculture, economic and demographic growth, urbanisation, energy and climate change;
– Makes access to sanitation a priority;
– Establishes indicators representing the fulfilment of development goals;
– Protects water resources and ecosystems;
– Adopts a circular economic approach to the water cycle;
– Continues the already large financial support dedicated to the cause of water and development projects.
The second day was dedicated to celebrating the international year of cooperation in the water field. Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Mr Michel Jarraud (UN Water) and Mr Bart Devos took part in the opening ceremonies for the day. The recommendation document developed beforehand was presented to the high-level group (governments) who will promote the subject before decision-making organisations and define future worldwide goals.
These two days were an opportunity for the FWP’s representatives who attended to give a reminder of and to illustrate the major role that the FWP plays in cooperation in the water field, notably on topics such as defining future millennium goals and sustainable development goals.
Indeed, the FWP has a mandate to bring together the various French water stakeholders who work on the question to obtain joint positions and international exposure. With its partners, it mobilises many French, European and International organisations to promote the creation of a water goal with all its components within the post-2015 agenda.
Declaration « Wings for Water – Wake up call for Water Cooperation » : Wake up call for water
05/05/2013