First United Nations Water Conference develops action agenda in service of our collective future

Water Conference 2023 © UN Photo - Rick Bajornas

At the initiative of Csaba Kőrösi, President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, and more than 40 years after the first UN Water Conference, member states, scientists, civil society stakeholders and representatives from the private sector gathered at the UN headquarters in New York from 22 to 24 March 2023.

Almost 700 specific commitments adopted as part of the Water Action Agenda are set to be implemented by 2030 to accelerate progress towards universal access to clean water and sanitation.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the commitments made under the Action Agenda, which will “propel humanity towards the water-secure future every person on the planet needs.”

During her speech on behalf of the Principality, Ambassador Isabelle Picco stressed the urgent need to rediscover the value of water and ensure sustainable management of this priceless resource.

The Permanent Representative set out the work being done by the Prince’s Government, including implementation of a responsible management policy that had led to a 26% reduction in water consumption. Isabelle Picco also emphasised the significance of the Government’s investment in high-quality, efficient infrastructure such as the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which provides cleaner, more effective treatment of water in the Principality and surrounding French communes.

She also focused on the Principality’s actions abroad, through its development aid policy, in the field of access to clean water and sanitation, as well as the work of the Prince Albert II Foundation to conserve freshwater ecosystems.

A platform for amplifying the voices of those on the ground

The Monaco Mission also co-organised three events on the margins of the Conference to provide a platform for showcasing the solutions being delivered by organisations on the ground every day.

During an event in partnership with the organisation Girl Rising and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, four young women had the opportunity to share the innovative solutions that they are implementing on a daily basis to limit water-related climate impacts in the Bahamas, Uganda, Kenya and Ecuador.

At the Permanent Mission’s premises, an event jointly organised with the Peace Innovation Initiative, the University for Peace and the Costa Rica Mission was attended by around 60 participants. Five panellists drawn from civil society discussed solutions to strengthen the links between actions on the ground and policy making. Lachezara Stoeva, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, and Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, also took part in the event.

Finally, a networking event was held in partnership with the Coalition for the UN We Need. Led by former President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa, it brought together 60 young civil society representatives at the offices of Monaco’s Permanent Mission to discuss the challenges of the Conference.