UN Water Conference: Lemke calls for a special envoy for water
Status: 03/23/2023 02:15 a.m
The UN Water Conference has started in New York. Secretary General Guterres warned that a quantum leap is needed in the fight against water shortages. Federal Environment Minister Lemke called for a UN special envoy for water.
It has to go faster. There is less talk and more action – the speakers at the first water summit in almost 50 years emphasized this.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke emphasizes that combating the water crisis is of central importance: “Water is at the heart of the three main environmental crises: climate change, species extinction and environmental pollution.”
Water pollution, droughts and floods threatened global rights and the Paris climate goals. That is why the world community must work together. Water does not stop at national borders. “For this reason, it is crucial to promote intergovernmental agreements on transboundary water management,” said Lemke, who also called for regular water conferences and a UN special envoy for water:
This initiative already has the support of 150 delegations. Germany is willing to contribute to the financing. Because we are convinced that only a special envoy can ensure that water remains a priority in multilateral cooperation going forward.
Guterres sounds the alarm
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously sounded the alarm in view of a water crisis threatening worldwide: “Water is the lifeblood of life,” he said, and: The world is in great trouble.
We suck off this lifeblood of humanity – through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use. We are evaporating the water with our global heating. We have disrupted the water cycle, destroying ecosystems and contaminating groundwater.
Almost three out of four natural disasters were water-related. New ways are therefore needed to prepare and save the “elixir of life for mankind”. Guterres called for a global information system to forecast water needs in real time. An early warning system against dangerous climate or weather events is also needed.
Shortly before the conference, a UN study warned that the global shortage of drinking water would continue to increase. The progress made so far in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of access to water for all people is insufficient. At least four times the speed is needed to achieve the goals. At the end of the conference, a non-binding action paper is to be voted on.
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