DUSHANBE, August 8, 2016, Asia-Plus – About 500 people from 90 countries will participate in a three-day High-Level International Symposium on SDG 6 and Targets Ensuring that No One Is Left Behind in Access to Water and Sanitation that will kick off in Dushanbe tomorrow.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the Symposium is co-organized by UN-DESA and the Government of Tajikistan under support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World Bank (WB) and some other international and regional organizations.
In all, about 500 people from 90 countries of the world, including representatives of 47 international and regional organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the World Bank and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), will participate in the Symposium that will take place at the Kokhi Somoniyon State Complex in Dushanbe from August 9-11.
The Symposium reportedly offers a platform for government officials, water policy makers and experts, businesses and civil society representatives to discuss how to implement SDG 6 and its related targets, including through an international decade of water for sustainable development, currently under consultation initiated by Tajikistan.
Participants will also identify and discuss obstacles encountered and explore opportunities for regional and multilateral cooperation and partnerships. To this end, it is expected that the Symposium will also provide an occasion for announcing concrete partnership initiatives.
The United Nations notes that clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in. There is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. But due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, every year millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. Drought afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition.
By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.
Ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030 requires we invest in adequate infrastructure, provide sanitation facilities and encourage hygiene at every level, UNDP says. Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems such as forests, mountains, wetlands and rivers is essential if we are to mitigate water scarcity. More international cooperation is also needed to encourage water efficiency and support treatment technologies in developing countries.
Universal access to clean water and sanitation is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across the multiple goals.
