6 November 2009: A special event titled “Enhancing Governance on Water” was held on 6 November 2009, as part of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial), during which experts discussed some of the key issues on the global water agenda, such as cooperating on transboundary water resources, strengthening the response to climate change through smart water management and reducing the impacts of water related disasters.
Committee Chair Park In-kook (Republic of Korea) identified maintaining a peaceful world while climate change and rising temperatures make water resources increasingly scarce as a priority. Colin Chartres, Director of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), also noted that climate change compounds the problem of water scarcity and emphasized that water issues must be addressed in a holistic manner. Ertuğrul Apakan, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the UN, recalled that the Istanbul Declaration of Heads of State adopted during the Fifth World Water Forum, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in March 2009, calls for greater water security and climate adaptability through more strategic use of the world’s most precious resource. [UN Press Release]