SDGs in focus: SDG 6 and interlinkages with other SDGs – Clean water and sanitation

(What integrated policies and partnerships can accelerate the achievement of the targets on clean water and sanitation? How can the interlinkages with other Goals be fully realized to ensure more impactful policies? How can the SDG Summit advance the follow-up to the UN Water Conference?)

Water is deemed a dealmaker for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Water is also considered as a global public good and access to safe drinking water and sanitation is widely recognized as a human right. Water and sanitation run across the entire 2030 while having a cross-sectoral impact. However, contrary to its centrality and importance for the well-being of people, planet, peace, and prosperity, progress on SDG 6 at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda shows that water-related goals and targets are alarmingly off-track. Governments must quadruple their rate of progress to ensure water and sanitation for all by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic, intensifying climate change, and regional conflicts have further slowed down much-needed progress.

In this context, to accelerate efforts to overcome water-related challenges, the UNGA Resolution 71/222 declared 2018-2028 as the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”. Furthermore, UNGA resolution 73/226 decided to convene, in New York, from 22 to 24 March 2023, the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, or the “UN 2023 Water Conference” and set out the modalities in UNGA 75/212.

The UN 2023 Water Conference on the midterm review of the Water Action Decade in New York, 22-24 March 2023 concluded with transformative commitments announced by governments, businesses, the UN System and civil society to respond to the global water crisis and get SDG 6 on track. The Water Action Agenda, the key outcome of the Conference, captured over 700 commitments aiming at a water-secure world in an inclusive, cross-sectoral and action-oriented manner.

This session will focus on the follow-up to the UN 2023 Water Conference and the Water Action Agenda, highlighting the interlinkages between SDG 6 and other SDGs. In addition, the UN-Water SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2023, the second one of its kind, provides policy recommendations on how to achieve SDG 6 by 2030 and serves as one of inputs to HLPF 2023.

The session will also discuss how Member States, the UN system and relevant stakeholders can better support the implementation of the second half of the Water Action Decade.

Proposed guiding questions:

We are alarmingly off-track to achieve SDG 6. What are some unique ideas that we have not heard already that you could propose, or lessons learned from your experiences, to accelerate progress?
What will you contribute to implement the game-changers that were proposed at the UN 2023 Water conference, especially the two initiatives called for by UNSG - the Early Warnings for all and the Global Water Information System?
How can your organization support and/or facilitate the implementation of the Water Action Agenda?
What will you do to strengthen partnerships for integrated action plans that link SDG 6 with SDGs 7, 9, 11 and 17?
How can we use positive externalities, regional cooperation and cross sectoral measures and fresh resources to transform the way water is financed?

Chair:

H.E. Ms. Lachezara Stoeva, President of ECOSOC (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM)
H.E. Ms. Paula Narváez, Vice President of ECOSOC (Chile) (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

Keynote/Presentation:

H.E. Mr. Jaap Slootmaker, Vice Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands (Co-host of the UN 2023 Water Conference on the outcome of the Conference)

Highlights:

Highlights of the report of the Secretary-General (special edition) on progress towards the SDGs – SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation

Mr. Daniel Eshetie, Statistics Division of UN DESA
Representative of Regional Commissions: Regional perspective on implementation of SDG 6 and interlinkages
Ms. Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Ms. Kelly Ann Naylor, Lead writer of SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2023 on Water and Sanitation

Interactive panel discussion

Moderator:

Mr. Johannes Cullmann, Vice-Chair of UN-Water

Panelists:

H.E. Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa , Commissioner of Global Commission on the Economics of Water, former President of the General Assembly
Ms.Karin Gardes, Acting Executive Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute
Mr. Joel Kolker, Water Global Lead for Finance, The World Bank

Lead Discussants:

Ms. Olga Djanaeva, Director of rural women's association ALGA, Kyrgyzstan (MGoS)
Mr. Francis Koroma, Founder and President at Francis Koroma Foundation

Comment: