5 Things to Know about the UN Water Conference [fr]

What is the UN Water Conference?

The United Nations Water Conference 2023 is an international meeting taking place at the midterm of the International Decade for Action on "Water for Sustainable Development" (2018-2028). This UN Conference is the first dedicated to freshwater since 1977.

As 2.2 billion people do not have access to safely managed drinking water, and lack of access to safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation remains the world’s primary cause of death, this conference aims to draw global attention to water-related challenges. The main topics discussed are: access to safe drinking water and sanitation, fighting water pollution, and extreme climate events, especially droughts and floods, enhanced by climate change and biodiversity loss.

Who will attend?

The Conference will gather representatives from UN Member States’ governements and UN agencies, international institutions, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and scientists, as well as private sector and civil society stakeholders.

How does the Conference take place?

The Conference will open on March 22, which also marks International Water Day, and will include six plenary meetings and five interactive dialogues. There will also be four high-level special events and numerous side events.

The Conference will focus on five main themes:

• water for health;
• water for sustainable development;
• water for climate, resilience and environment;
• water for cooperation;
• Water Action Decade.

Why was it convened?

The UN Water Conference aims to bring water to the heart of multilateralism and to build momentum for better global water governance. Participants will review challenges and opportunities related to the goals of the Water Action Decade, which are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 6th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG6) dedicated to water.

As the outcome of the Conference, a summary of the debates will be published by the President of the UN General Assembly, as well as a list of water-related voluntary commitments made by actors from all sectors and countries: the Water Action Agenda. These commitments are intended to create the conditions necessary to meet SDG6 by 2030, despite the fact that at the midterm of the Water Action Decade, its achievement is already falling behind.

What are France’s priorities?

For France, the Conference will be an opportunity to carry a strong and ambitious message on water-realted issues, in line with its International Strategy for Water and Sanitation 2020-2030.

France is committed to:

• accelerating efforts to implement the human right to drinking water and to adopt ambitious measures dedicated to advancing SDG6 worldwide;
• strengthening global water governance, including by supporting the appointment of a UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy;
• accelerating transboundary water cooperation, as an instrument for peace and security.