30 March 2015: Water is among the highest priorities for development and for peace and security, agreed participants at the High-Level Interactive Dialogue on the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life,’ 2005-2015, convened by the President of the UN General Assembly. The event reviewed progress in the implementation of the Decade, evaluated progress in fostering cooperation on water issues and discussed ways to apply lessons from the Decade to the post-2015 development agenda.

Participants at the event on 30 March 2015, in New York, US, recognized achievements of the Decade, including: increased access to improved water sources; progress on access to sanitation; recognition of the importance of sustainable water management in achieving sustainable development; a shift to a rights-based approach to water and sanitation; and the mainstreaming of gender in water and hygiene management. Participants also observed that water’s impact on economic well-being and human health is better understood than it was a decade ago.

Observing that water constitutes a threat to international peace and security, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson called for “hydro-diplomacy” to ensure cooperation, rather than conflict, on water. He stressed the dangers caused by unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and a lack of hygiene, describing the lack of water as a leading reason for child mortality in the world. He outlined opportunities to accelerate progress on water and sanitation, including through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Change Conference.

Despite improvements in access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Sam Kutesa in a message delivered by the Permanent Representative of Iceland to the UN, Einar Gunnarsson, over 800 million people lack access to an improved water source and even more lack a safe, sustainable water supply. Kutesa urged continuing “to take into account the importance of water and sanitation issues” during negotiations in 2015, including those on the post-2015 development agenda.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation, Léo Heller, stressed that that everyone is “equally entitled to have access to safe, affordable and accessible water and sanitation.” He called for better application of resources to identify and target those without access, and to ensure affordability, equality and non-discrimination with regard to water programmes, infrastructure and monitoring.

Participants also highlighted the UN’s 2015 World Water Development Report (WWDR), on challenges facing the world’s supply. Unless water supply management “dramatically” improves, the report predicts a 40% shortfall in water supply by 2030.

The UNGA mandated the High-level Interactive Dialogue in its resolution A/RES/69/215. The event will result in a UNGA President’s summary. [UN Press Release] [Deputy Secretary-General Statement] [UNGA President Message] [Event Website] [Event Background Note] [IISD RS Story on WWDR 2015]