영한_물_제이슨

[Jason]

Keynote Speech by Mr James George at the 18th World Water Congress

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Source: https://www.undp.org/china/speeches/keynote-speech-mr-james-george-18th-world-water-congress

영한_물_제이슨.docx

17.26KB

영한_물_제이슨.m4a

7.39MB

GLOSSARY

1	United Nations Development Programme	유엔개발계획 or UNDP
2	18th World Water Congress	제18차 세계물총회
3	2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development	2030 지속가능한 발전 의제
4	UN 2023 Water Conference	2023 유엔 물 컨퍼런스
5	Water Action Agenda	물행동의제

SCRIPT (526 words)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme in China, it is a great pleasure to join you at the 18th World Water Congress.

We stand at a pivotal moment in history.

At the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is evident that the Sustainable Development Goals – global goals to ensure the future of people and planet – are in deep peril.

The combined impacts of climate change, conflict, overlapping energy, food, and economic shocks, lingering COVID-19 effects, and the shrinking fiscal space for many countries is pushing the world to the brink and the consequences of this are already emerging across areas critical for sustainable development – including water resources.

SDG 6 calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. However, climate change, pollution, and mismanagement of resources have hindered this goal.

We are facing a global water emergency.

Water scarcity is on the rise as demand for freshwater is expected to grow by more than 40 percent by 2050.

As of last year, globally, 2.2 billion people still lacked safe drinking water services, 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation services and 2 billion lacked basic hygiene services.

This is not only an environmental concern – it has economic consequences.

As much as 6% of GDP will be lost in some countries by 2050 due to water scarcity which spurs migration and conflict.

The UN 2023 Water Conference and the Water Action Agenda have made important efforts in uniting the world for water, with the Water Action Agenda outlining key commitments and actions that will enable the sharing and development of successful solutions on a global scale.

Following from this, there are four key points that I would like to share for your kind consideration today:

First, decades of experience has shown us that to ensure a future with sustainable water resources, investing in long-term development solutions at the local level is the best, and only option.

While emergency aid is vital to contain the immediate impacts of any crisis, it must be accompanied by support that addresses the root causes of the crisis, builds sustainable paths forward, and ensures continued development progress.

Second, increased financing is absolutely critical.

Currently, $1 trillion is the estimated global cost of achieving SDG6 on clean water and sanitation, equivalent to just around 1% of global GDP.

Yet, financing flows have long been well below the level needed. For example, total official development assistance (ODA) commitments to the water sector have actually decreased since 2015, to just $9.8 billion in 2021.

A new business model and funding architecture for water must be built.

Third, transboundary cooperation must be strengthened.

The lakes, rivers, and streams that flow across the surface of our planet and have allowed life in all forms to flourish for millions of years, do not recognize borders.

As a result, the world’s water resources are not distributed evenly, being abundant in some regions and scarce in others.

Countries and regions need to work together to build stronger cooperation to avoid potential disputes and ensure that people have access to clean water, regardless of where they live.