1 September 2008: Addressing the Water Tribune at the
International Expo, which is taking place in Zaragoza, Spain, from 14 June to
14 September 2008, under the theme “Water and Sustainable Development,” UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled the UN’s commitment to the protection
and adequate management of water resources, as well as the water-related
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Noting the growing magnitude of the
climate change challenge, the Secretary-General said people who rely on
snowfall and glaciers in high mountain ranges to replenish their water supplies
have serious cause for concern.
Extreme hydrological events such as severe
storms, floods and drought likewise have the potential to disrupt water supplies
and diminish food security, he added. Noting that the least developed
countries, notably in Africa, are among those likely to be worst affected by
water scarcity over the coming century, Ban said the UN was trying to do
everything in its power to help countries meet this threat with concerted
action.
He stressed that the focus now was on obtaining an international
agreement, under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,
on the next steps that will guide the international response. [The statement]