Distinguished members of the Press,
As the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water Conference, I am pleased to join this press briefing with Conference co-hosts, Governments of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Dear colleagues,
From 22 to 24 March, the UN 2023 Water Conference will be convened at UN Headquarters. It will be first such event since the UN Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977. This will be an occasion to unite the global community to take action and address the broad challenges surrounding water.
The Conference is expected to bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers and other high-level representatives of governments and the UN system. A wide range of stakeholders from across different sectors will also take part – the General Assembly has accredited over 1,200 organizations representing civil society, youth, women, and the private sector, among others.
The three-day Conference will comprise an opening and a closing ceremony, six plenary meetings, and five interactive dialogues addressing water within cross-cutting areas such as health; sustainable development; climate change, resilience and environment; and cooperation; and explore progress within the water action decade. Four high-level special events will highlight the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration. A number of exhibits and other activities will also take place within and around UN headquarters.
An ongoing call for side events has already received over 400 expressions of interest, a reflection of the momentum that this Conference is generating.
The main outcomes of the Conference will be a summary of the Conference proceedings and a Water Action Agenda that will capture the ambitious new commitments from Member States and other stakeholders.
Preparations for the Conference are well underway, including on the concept papers that will inform the interactive dialogues.
With the Department of Global Communications, we have prepared a background note and press kit that are available on the Conference website. Several social media assets are also available for broad use. I invite you all to consult the website for latest information, including media accreditation.
The UN 2023 Water Conference aims to generate concrete actions and commitments to advance the global water agenda and secure transformative change at all levels. It will also be an important contribution to the SDG Summit in September. We look forward to the active participation of all Member States and a wide range of stakeholders.
I thank you.