GYEONGJU, South Korea — During the discussion, “Water is the Key for Sustainable Development: High-Level Panel on Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda,” held April 14 at the seventh World Water Forum, the World Water Council urged policy makers and water stakeholders from across the world to maintain the momentum for a dedicated “Sustainable Development Goal” for water in order to achieve water security, according to a press release.
Global impacts of water on populations and societies demonstrate that water security is “increasingly important as a pathway to sustainable development,” and this year water was ranked as the greatest societal risk for the coming decade, stated the release.
“The year 2015 is an opportunity the world cannot afford to miss: We must invent our water future together,” said World Water Council President Benedito Braga. “In September, the United Nations General Assembly will adopt Sustainable Development Goals, and we will end the year debating a global climate agreement in Paris, in which water is to be recognized as a major factor to reach consensus.”
He continues, “Our ability to build a water-secure future will depend upon our capacity to turn future challenges into opportunities. To succeed, we need the political decision makers and the international community to come together to implement changes. There is no time to waste.”
The seventh World Water Forum, building on the vast range of solutions identified at the sixth World Water Forum held in Marseille, will establish an Action Monitoring System and Implementation Roadmaps as key outputs, reported the release.
The roadmaps are expected to provide a clear picture of how to implement various aspects of a global Sustainable Development Goal for water, noted the release.
Read the entire release here.
