Statement by the United Nations General Assembly president on World Water Day 2021, March 22nd,
A year ago, as the world began to shut its doors to the global pandemic, one of the messages we heard most was that we must wash our hands.
We were told that this could help stop the spread of COVID-19.But what of the 3 billion people who still lack access to basic handwashing facilities? What of the healthcare facilities without running water? Sadly, for many around the world, they have had to face the pandemic without access to even these basic, human needs.
We cannot change what has happened, but we can learn from it.
I am proud to say that today, on World Water Day, the UN General Assembly will wrap up a high-level meeting, on water and the Sustainable Development Goals.
We will hear about those who continue to lack access to water; who do not have proper sanitation; who spend countless hours trekking to water sources.
And we will hear of the encouraging and innovative initiatives underway by the UN System and by civil society groups to help address these problems.
This gives me hope.
My friends, we have so much more to do; this problem will not be solved by a meeting – but it also will not be solved by silence.
By talking, by raising the issue and learning from each other, we can continue to work together to truly achieve clean water and sanitation for all.
UN-Water sets the annual theme. In 2021, the theme is valuing water. In 2022, it will be groundwater. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
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Water is a unique and non-substitutable resource. As the foundation of life, societies and economies, it carries multiple values and benefits. But unlike most other valuable resources, it has proven extremely difficult to determine its true ‘value’. The 2021 World Water Development Report on “Valuing Water” assesses the current status of and challenges to the valuation of water across differing sectors and perspectives and identifies ways in which valuation can be promoted as a tool help achieve sustainability. The World Water Development Report 2021 will be launched on the occasion of World Water Day, on 22 March 2021.
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