Tackling Water Risks to Ensure a Sustainable Future

The Governments of Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and the World Water Council, with the participation of UN-Water are organizing a Ministerial Luncheon on Tackling Water Risks to Ensure a Sustainable Future on the occasion of the General Assembly Special Event on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The event will take place in UN Headquarters, South Terrace Dining Room on Wednesday, September 25, 2013, 1:15-3:00 p.m.

Speakers will include:

• Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (tbc)
• Didier Burkhalter, Federal Councillor, Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
• Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands
• Juanita Castaño, member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation
• Michel Jarraud, Chair of UN-Water and Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization
• Ben Braga, President of World Water Council (tbc)

Water is both a key resource for and a growing threat to human, social and economic development. One clear lesson from the MDGs is that the future development agenda should seek to build on and go beyond the drinking water and sanitation MDG target. As also stressed in the post-2015 Global Thematic Water Consultation, access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all, food and energy production, disaster risk reduction, economic development and healthy people and ecosystems rely on the availability and sustainable management of water resources.

The United Nations Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Economic Forum ‘Global Risks Report’ show that water and climate-related risks are increasingly a threat to our society and to people’s lives. Without proper water management, the costs can be high – not just financially, but also in terms of economic lost opportunities, compromised health, environmental damage and increased risks of water conflicts.

The luncheon will provide an opportunity for a high level roundtable discussion with country representatives, international organisations, civil society and the private sector on best practices and key factors of success to address water-related risks in five major areas: economic prosperity, human health, political stability, disaster risk management and governance.

There could not be a more opportune time for addressing the challenges of delivering improved water and sanitation in the post-2015 and SDGs framework than during this year, the International Year of Water Cooperation.

Source: www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/2013_09_25_tackling_water_risks.pdf