The 39th UN-Water Meeting marked a pivotal moment for global water and sanitation efforts with the adoption of a new UN system-wide strategy.
The stage is set for a more unified and strategic approach to tackling one of humanity’s most pressing challenges.
The meeting, led by Bruce Gordon, UN-Water Vice-Chair, was not just a routine gathering; it was a celebration of a significant milestone.
The strategy’s adoption by the UN High-Level Committee on Programmes the previous day was a testament to the collective commitment to change.
Consultant Kelly Ann Naylor reminded attendees of the strategy’s core objective: to operationalize interagency cooperation. This is not just about working together but about evolving together to support countries more effectively.
The strategy is built around five entry points, each a critical lever for change:
Inspiring Leadership: To dispel the confusion around UN-Water’s role and establish clear leadership within the UN and at the country level.
Engaging Stakeholders: To ensure Resident Coordinators are well-versed in the strategy and its offerings, fostering a demand for water services and engaging with various ministries and stakeholders.
Integrating Across Sectors: To enhance communication among UN-Water task forces and mainstream water discussions into broader international processes.
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Accelerating Change: To support the SDG 6 accelerators with a focus on governance, financing, data, innovation, and capacity building.
Accounting and Learning: To link the review process to the UN’s Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), ensuring the strategy’s impact is measured and understood.
The strategy also emphasizes the need for clear communication and coordination, both within the UN system and with external stakeholders.
It calls for a repository of agreed text on water and sanitation within intergovernmental agreements and resolutions, and for greater collaboration with other international processes.
Looking ahead, the strategy sets the stage for the upcoming 2026 and 2028 UN Water Conferences, which are expected to be pivotal in shaping the future of water and sanitation governance.
These conferences will serve as platforms for reviewing progress, sharing best practices, and setting new targets for the UN system-wide strategy.
Moreover, the strategy aligns with the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, which aims to deliver fast results towards ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
This framework mobilizes UN agencies, governments, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders around five cross-cutting and interdependent ‘accelerators’: Financing, Data and Information, Capacity Development, Innovation, and Governance.
The UN-Water strategy represents a renewed commitment to a world where water and sanitation are accessible to all. It’s a strategy that recognizes the urgency of the water crisis and the need for collective, coordinated action.
As Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD and UN-Water Chair, closed the meeting, it was with a sense of hope and determination that resonated with all present.
