NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba K?r?si
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Monday, 24 October 2022
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STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
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Underway all day today is the stakeholder consultation in preparation for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference in March 2023.
There are about 1,200 registered participants taking part. These are scientists, representatives of the private sector and civil society.
The aim of this consultation is to look at game changers related to water and sustainability issues.
There will be roundtables throughout the day on five main topics ¨C governance, capacity development, data and information, innovation, and financing.
The discussions today will feed into tomorrow¡¯s preparatory water conference with Member States.
In his opening remarks, President Csaba K?r?si said there were three main issues that be wanted participants to consider. Those are related to groundwater, enhancing linkages between freshwater and ocean, and integrating water and climate agenda.
Participants also heard from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DESA Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who is the Secretary-General of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2023 Water conference.
He presented highlights from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DESA¡¯s recent online stakeholder consultation on proposed themes from the conference.
Also addressing the opening was former President of the Republic of Hungary, J¨¢nos ?der. He is a Member of the Water and Climate Leaders. He noted that people are mostly occupied right now with gas prices and job security, and less so with climate change and water issues.
But in terms of potable water he noted the James Bond ratio. That only .007% of the planet¡¯s water is available for drinking and other uses.
He made a case for the importance of date and information. For example, the loss of grid water, the international community doesn¡¯t have precise information about how much water is actually delivered from point A to point B, or good data about waste water and how much of that is put back into planet.
Without good date, it makes it difficult to see the potential social, political and economic impact of water issues.
Among others who spoke was youth advocate, Keziah Theresee Gerosana. One of the points that she made was that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies should allocate at least 50% of their budget for water and climate projects.
So that¡¯s to give you a flavor of this morning¡¯s discussions.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DAY
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Today is Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Day.
In his message for the Day, President K?r?si said that that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has two urgent parallel tasks: managing crises and promoting transformation.
He also reminded us what former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskj?ld, had said: ¡°The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was?not?created to?take?mankind to?heaven, but to save humanity from hell.¡±
His full message is in your inboxes and online: /pga/77/2022/10/23/pgas-message-on-the-occasion-of-un-day/
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PGA COÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵCIL
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And I wanted to let you know that the Council of Presidents of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly has had its annual meeting. This is a group of former Presidents of General Assembly.
Members expressed great concern about current, multifaceted crises on the agenda of the 77th Assembly, and reiterated the importance of upholding the principles and purposes of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter in addressing these challenges.
A full press release is available through our colleagues at the Media Documents Centre.
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QUESTIONS
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A journalist suggested that OPGA review water cooperation between Afghanistan and Iran, ahead of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2023 Water Conference.