22 March 2013: The High-Level Meeting of the Global Thematic Consultation on Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda took place from 21-22 March 2013, in The Hague, the Netherlands. The meeting included a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, also called “Wings for Water,” and celebration of International World Water Day on the theme of water cooperation.

The meetings, hosted by the Netherlands, brought together representatives of governments, international organizations, civil society, religious bodies, the private sector and youth, to discuss the outcomes of the Consultation and the Dutch “Wings for Water” Initiative outcome, the “Wake Up Call on Water.”

The High-level Meeting represented the Consultation’s final meeting. It was coordinated by UN-Water, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the governments of the Netherlands and Switzerland. Participants discussed and endorsed the Consultation’s outcomes as presented in the “Advance Summary of the Consultation’s Synthesis Report,” for submission to the UN High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP) and the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, allowing for presentation and discussion of the Consultation’s results, included speeches by: HRH Willem-Alexander, The Prince of Orange, the Netherlands, and Chair, UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB); and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, and Chair, HLP. Two roundtable sessions addressed: water and poverty reduction, equity and sustainability; and taking action towards inclusive finance for water, sanitation and hygiene, water resources management, and wastewater management and water quality. The high-level segment of the meeting – the High-Level Forum on Global Thematic Consultation on Water – discussed how to raise the profile of water cooperation, and endorsed the outcome of the Global Thematic Consultation on Water.

The outcomes as endorsed include conclusions on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), water resources management (WRM) and wastewater management and water quality (WWMWQ). The outcomes identify as key recommendations, inter alia: universal access to WASH; that sustainability of WASH must be at the heart of any new agenda, and integrated approach to WRM must be implemented; that water must be used in ways that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial; and that targets for preventing polluting substances entering water bodies need to be devised and implemented. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [Publication: Advanced Summary of Synthesis Report (Draft)] [Water Consultation Website]