DRAFT
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL,
SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
World Summit on Sustainable Development
Address by
Mr Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General
of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
on the occasion of the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
Side Event:
“Monitoring Global Progress: Water and Globalization”
Johannesburg, Water Dome, 3 September 2002, 4 p.m.
17/02/16, 11:02
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Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me begin by greeting all the participants at this important
Side
Event
on
‘Monitoring
Global
Progress:
Water
and
Globalization’, hosted by the World Water Assessment Programme. I
regret not having been with you earlier but, as you know, there are
many events of great importance that require my attention during this
World Summit.
Water is now recognized as being the basis for sustainable
development.
Competition between uses and users of water is
growing. This makes more urgent than ever before the need to act in
unison so that water resources can be managed as wisely as possible.
The United Nations system has responded to this need for integrated
management by creating the World Water Assessment Programme.
The Programme is a most important initiative bringing together all the
agencies of the UN system having an interest in freshwater issues.
UNESCO is very proud to host the Secretariat for the Programme,
thereby facilitating the process of integrating the efforts of all the
agencies involved.
Issues of poverty, education, and peace find expression
throughout UNESCO’s programmes and mandate.
Freshwater
concerns are at the interface where health security, food security and
environmental sustainability meet. Indeed, it is entirely appropriate at
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this World Summit meeting that water is at the centre of the global
debate: water for sanitation, for energy, for health, for agriculture and
for bio-diversity.
Thus, UNESCO recognizes that freshwater is a global issue
requiring immediate action.
That is why the 31st session of the
UNESCO’s General Conference selected “Water Resources and
Supporting Ecosystems” as the principal priority of the Natural
Sciences Sector for the current biennium (2002-2003) and beyond.
I am particularly pleased that the World Water Assessment
Programme not only brings together the members of the UN family in
common effort, but that so many countries are also showing keen
interest in and support of the Programme. I am delighted that so many
ministers are able to be with us today to celebrate progress being
made. It will be particularly important in the years ahead that the
Programme provides support to many nations in need, especially to
help build their capacities to make water resource assessments within
their countries and to take the actions needed to alleviate poverty and
enhance social and economic development.
Many of the countries represented here today have contributed
case studies, data or lessons learned for inclusion in the first edition of
the World Water Development Report that will be launched during the
Third World Water Forum at Kyoto in March 2003 as a major
contribution to the Programme.
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At the start of this session, Mr Desai announced that 2003 has
been designated the UN Year of Freshwater, led by UNESCO and UN
DESA.
I should like to emphasize that UNESCO considers this
special designation for 2003 as vitally important.
It will help to
remind the world community of how critically important are our water
resources. I would like to sincerely thank Tajikistan, in the person of
His Excellency Mr. Kozidavlat Kiomdodov, the Deputy Prime
Minister, for proposing that 2003 be declared the Year of Freshwater.
The launching of the World Water Development Report at Kyoto will
be a major contribution to the celebration of the Year.
It is
particularly pleasing to me that the next World Water Forum will be
held in Japan. The Report will be launched on 22 nd March, the UN
Day of Freshwater, and the day on which the Ministerial Conference
will begin in Kyoto.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In closing, let me once again offer my thanks to the governments
supporting the World Water Assessment Programme. For our part,
please be assured that UNESCO is fully committed to ensuring the
future of the Programme and its success.
Thank you.