The UN Water Conference has been hailed as an opportunity to ramp up international cooperation to address water issues and avoid a looming crisis. Experts and UN officials agree that stronger partnerships are key to finding lasting solutions.
On the sidelines of the historic Conference – held at UN Headquarters from 22 to 24 March – the SDG Media Zone is an informal setting for experts and senior officials to discuss a wide range of topics related to water.
On the first day of the Conference, Conor Lennon from UN News led a conversation focused on building partnerships and enhancing cooperation, to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal for Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), and realizing the human right to water and sanitation.
The guests were Kristin Meyer, a programme manager at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Neil Dhot, the Executive Director of the International Federation of private water operators (Aquafed), and Richard Connor, the editor-in-chief of the UN World Water Development Report.
The session took place the day after the launch of the 2023 Report, which warns that, with up to three billion people experiencing water shortages, we are facing a global water crisis, unless international cooperation is significantly improved.