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10 Mar 2023
Call for action: invest in water security to reduce financial risks
Investing financial resources in nature based solutions for water is an essential means to avoid financial risk. In February, the Carbon Disclosure Project sent an open letter to governments with the message that water insecurity poses a significant financial risk to the global economy. They point to the 2022 assessment by the Stockholm Resilience Centre that the safe limits for freshwater have been transgressed, posing a threat to life support systems...
9 Mar 2023
Experts warn that UN Water Conference does not build sufficiently on Mar del Plata
A recent article by prominent water experts warns that the upcoming UN Water Conference does not build sufficiently on lessons from its highly successful predecessor, the UN Water Conference at Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1977. The article , published in the International Journal of Water Resources Development and authored by world renowned experts, Professors Asit Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada, reviews the preparations and the lasting impact of Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977, and warns that the upcoming UN Water Conference does not build sufficiently on lessons from its successful predecessor...
8 Mar 2023
Global Water Treatment Market to Grow Rapidly
A new publication on trends in the water market has estimated that the global water treatment market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of some 7% per year in the period 2023-2028. In 2022, the water treatment market was valued at US $ 303 billion, and it is projected to grow to US $ 460 billion by 2028...
8 Mar 2023
Vanuatu’s fight for climate justice goes to the Hague
105 of the 193 member states have supported Vanautu’s call to request that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provide clarification on the obligations of states to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment the environment for present and future generations. Clarity is also sought from the ICJ on the legal consequences under these obligations for States which, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment for Small Island States as well as present and future generations suffering the consequences of climate change...
8 Mar 2023
Vanuatu’s fight for climate justice goes to the Hague
105 of the 193 member states have supported Vanautu’s call to request that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provide clarification on the obligations of states to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment the environment for present and future generations. Clarity is also sought from the ICJ on the legal consequences under these obligations for States which, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment for Small Island States as well as present and future generations suffering the consequences of climate change...
8 Mar 2023
The UN Water Conference and International Water Law
Tobias Schmitz: In a recent article in the International Journal of Water Resources Development, Professors Asit Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada argue that the upcoming UN Water Conference has not been built sufficiently on the legacy of the last UN Water Conference held in Mar del Plata in 1977. To what extent do you think that the UN 2023 Water Conference is building sufficiently on the legacy of International Water Law since 1977? Dr Mara Tignino: Thank you...
4 Mar 2023
Progress made in documenting damage to water resources and infrastructure in Ukraine
A year into the war in Ukraine, progress is being made in documenting the damage to water resources and infrastructure, although many gaps still remain. The Ukrainian government has requested the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to assist in the assessment of environmental damage in the country, and already it is estimated that 618 critical industrial or infrastructure sites have been damaged or destroyed...
4 Mar 2023
Catarina de Albuquerque speaks to The Water Diplomat
Interview with Catarina de Albuquerque 27/02/2023 Chief Executive Officer, UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership Tobias Schmitz: For those people who do not work in the water, sanitation or hygiene (WASH) sector, there may not be a strong awareness of the importance of safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene for our health, for social justice, for economic development and for all life on the planet...
2 Mar 2023
Peace and Water: GOWP brief calls for urgent rethinking of approach to water management
The Global Observatory for Water and Peace (GOWP) has released a brief ahead of the upcoming United Nations Mid-Term Review Conference in March 2023, highlighting the urgent need to fundamentally rethink the global approach to water as a vehicle of peace, rather than as an end in itself. “The global water crisis is a multi-dimensional and complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach...
2 Mar 2023
'Forever' pollution map of Europe created through collaborative journalism
A collaborative research effort by journalists and media across Europe has resulted in the development of an interactive map of pollution by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across Europe. Dubbed the ‘Forever Pollution Project’ after the alternative name ‘forever chemicals’ that is also used to refer to these highly persistent compounds, the collaborative effort involved long term investigation by a group of 18 newsrooms of the location of more than 2100 sites in Europe that can be considered PFAS ‘hotspots’...
1 Mar 2023
Hearing the Unheard for the UN Water Action Agenda
The UN 2023 Water Conference (UN Water 2023) will take place in March at the UN Headquarters in New York. It has been 46 years since a UN Water Conference was last held. The vision of the Conference is explicitly inclusive: “The Conference and its preparatory process will be organized based on the following three principles: Inclusive: both in terms of (a) the Conference process (ensure vertical and horizontal inclusiveness) and in terms of (b) the results (leaving no-one behind)...
24 Feb 2023
Launch of UN-Water report for Improved Integration Across SDG6
A new report launched by UN Water on the 16th of February reviews the range of targets and indicators across Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) on water and sanitation and reviews options for closer integration across these targets. In describing the motivation for the report, Marianne Kjellen, senior water advisor UNDP, underlined the fact that the task of UN Water is to coordinate the activities of the different UN agencies with water and sanitation related mandates on water and sanitation issues...