The World Water Forum asks to ensure the right to this resource for all

The ninth World Water Forum on Friday urged the international community to ensure that the right to water and sanitation is a reality for everyone in the world, on the closing day of the meeting, which was held this week in Dakar.

This request appears in the “Dakar Declaration”, which compiles the points of agreement after the joint work of the intervening actors, and was presented by the co-chairs of the Preparatory Committee of the Forum, Abdoulaye Sène and Patrick Lavarde.

Sène and Lavarde called for the application of the aforementioned right to be accelerated through the adoption of adequate legislative frameworks and the mobilization of all actors and the application of international humanitarian law, which provide for the protection of water and sanitation systems in times of conflict.

Likewise, the Declaration requests to guarantee the availability of water and resilience, ensure adequate financing, inclusive governance of this resource and strengthen cooperation.

It also recommends the Government of Senegal and the World Water Council, in their capacity as co-organizers of the Forum, to present this declaration as a contribution to the United Nations Conference on Water, to be held in 2023.

Mohamed CBC Diatta, scientific coordinator of the Executive Secretariat of the forum, pointed out that, among the key messages that have been collected this week, the relevance of creating new governance frameworks for drinking water stands out.

Also reinforce the autonomy of small agricultural producers through technical and financial support, but also favor a territorial approach to water beyond agriculture.

Diatta also announced some of the commitments made by large institutions, such as the establishment of an observatory on water security in African cities by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The United States Agency for Development (USAID) promised last Tuesday the mobilization of 1.2 billion dollars for the water and sanitation sector, of which 70% is destined for the African continent and the World Bank it will finance water security and its universal access, among others.

The ninth World Water Forum, the most important event on water on the planet, has focused on security and sanitation, water for rural development, cooperation and means and tools, ranging from management and governance to financing.

Organized every three years since 1997, the Forum brings together governments, local authorities, international organizations, NGOs, financial institutions, businesses, academics and civil society groups.

It is a unique platform where different actors and key decision-makers can collaborate and establish long-term action plans on water challenges around the world. (I)