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The World We Want for Water Takes a Big Step Forward
U.N. Member States unanimously welcomed the outcome document on the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals on Sunday 2Nd August.
Road now opening for the implementation of the Post-2015 agenda
AquaFed congratulates the UN Member States, the co-facilitators Ambassadors Csaba Körösi, Macharia Kamau and David Donoghue and all the stakeholders and contributors to the process of successfully negotiating the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This was finalized on Sunday August 2Nd in New York. This important text[1] should now be passed on to the 69Th session of the General Assembly for ratification. Once in force, it should make a significant contribution to a better world in the years to come.
Our Federation of Private Water Operators is particularly pleased to see Goal 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” and the Targets associated with it.
Since before the Rio + 20 Conference, AquaFed has been promoting the necessity of escaping the tyranny of taps and toilets, imparted inadvertently by the Millennium Development Goals. AquaFed has stressed the urgency of returning to a 'full water cycle' view of water in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. This is particularly important to ensure that water quality is protected, resources are managed to secure adequate water for all users and uses, and pollution is prevented and removed once water has been used so that it does not threaten human and environmental health. While taps and toilets are vitally important to alleviate poverty, protect health, enable education and stimulate employment, if they are not connected to the wider management of water services and systems they are next to useless. For example a toilet that is not connected to a system of waste containment and treatment can do more harm than good.
All of the targets under goal 6 are now constructed with a view to make these full cycle connections real (see annex).
It is to the great credit of UN Water, and to the global water community that has advised the experts and negotiators, that this vision has been promoted and understood by Member States.
The same community now has to work vigorously on the challenge of implementation. For this, the initial indicators needed to drive action and for monitoring progress are in place. The ways to use them need perfecting and this will come as the work gets underway. AquaFed and its members stand ready to make their contribution to supporting the states and public authorities in ensuring the acceleration of efforts that are called for in different ways in different parts of the world.
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AquaFed is the International Federation of Private Water Operators. Open to companies and associations of companies of all sizes and from all countries, it aims to contribute to solving water challenges by making Private Sector know-how and experience available to the international community. It brings together more than 300 water companies that serve hundreds of millions of people in 40 countries. Members of the Federation participate actively in the improvement of water and sanitation services, thus contributing to make the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation effective for people.
Annex
Text for proposed Sustainable Development Goal 6 extracted from “FORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - OUTCOME DOCUMENT FOR THE UN SUMMIT TO ADOPT THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA” UN New York 2Nd August 2015
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
6.a By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
| Contact information |
Thomas Van Waeyenberge Head of the Brussels Office AquaFed – The International Federation of Private Water Operators AquaFed is an NGO in consultative status with the UN ECOSOC AquaFed is registered in the European Joint Transparency Register (09175433167-27) 6 rond Point Schuman, B1040 Brussels – Belgium
(email: thomas@aquafed.org ) Phone: T : +3222347807 ¤ M : +32479237826 |
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| News type | Inbrief |
| File link | n/a |
| File link local |
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| Source of information | AquaFed – The International Federation of Private Water Operators |
| Keyword(s) | SDGs |
| Subject(s) | AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HEALTH - HYGIENE - PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISM , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , TOOL TERMS , TOURISM - SPORT - HOBBIES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY |
| Geographical coverage | n/a |
| News date | 10/08/2015 |
| Working language(s) | ENGLISH |
