Tag: Sustainable Development Goals

The results emerging from roundtables on governance, capacity development, data and information, innovation and financing, will be shared with national representatives on Tuesday, at a preparatory meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference, taking place in March.

Noting that the world stands at a watershed moment, the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, whose Office organized the consultations, told participants that it is time to “transform from reactive water management to proactive, science-based solutions to the water crisis.”

Science-based solutions

Mr. Kőrösi urged participants discuss game changers from the perspective of “solidarity, sustainability and science”, the motto of the 77^th session of the General Assembly.

Former President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder also addressed the opening, in his capacity as Member of the Water and Climate Leaders. He called for a greater emphasis on collecting and sharing information: “We cannot stop this water crisis. We have to adapt. And to adapt, we need data and information.”

Shaken, not stirred

Reminding participants of the “James Bond ratio” whereby only 0.007 per cent of the planet’s water is potable. Mr. Áder listed categories missing data bases, such as on water quality, grid loss, humidity content and wastewater. 

Without good date on these topics, it makes it difficult to see the potential social, political and economic impact of water issues, Mr. Áder noted.

The opening session also heard from UN Global Compact Chief of Staff, Melissa Powell. She discussed CEO Water Mandate, which is an initiative to align business principles with water, sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and called for greater engagement with the public sector.

Speaking also on behalf of the private sector in the opening, Matthias Berninger, who works in Public Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer, said more and more companies are engaging on water because it is important for their businesses.

Fluid new systems

He suggested that now is the time to start a more concerted effort to create a water and climate information system which would allow assistance for farmers, people living on shorelines, and decisionmakers.

Youth advocate, Keziah Theresee Gerosana, called for UN agencies to allocate at least half of their budgets to water and climate projects.

Referring to the importance of intergenerational discussions, in addition to inter-sectoral, she urged participants to see young people as allies: “Will you open your doors and accept us? Allow us to be your partners for change?”

Young business leader Lindsey Blodgett, called on participants to “work together outside of our spheres of influence” to harmonizing game changers across communities that normally would not be cooperating.

Short on climate action

Joining by video message, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas warned that climate action failure – which includes water inaction – is the biggest global risk.

He stressed the need to invest more in early warning systems, and to fill in the gaps in meteorological observing systems on the African continent, among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). 

Monday’s discussions also included information from a series of online stakeholder discussions organized earlier this year by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). 

That Department’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who is the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water conference, presented the findings. UN DESA helped to organize today’s discussions.

Governance overhaul

Revolutions hurt, said Hank Ovink, Special Envoy for Water from the Netherlands, addressing the roundtable on governance. Netherlands, along with Tajikistan, are the co-hosts of UN 2023 Water Conference.

Mr. Ovink said that to really have an impact, the international community will need to change “quite a log about what we’re used to, in combination with political will, societal will, a whole of society approach in a radically inclusive way.”

The Special Envoy told participants and moderator Danielle Gaillard-Picher, the Global Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership, that the contributions and societal will of everyone watching can make a difference.

Developing capacity

One of the issues discussed in the roundtable on capacity development is the establishment of a mechanism like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which could provide policy makers with science-based knowledge.

“That knowledge has to be translated to change water culture,” said Moderator Abou Amani, the Director of Water Sciences Division at UNESCO. “Because too many people are taking water for granted.”

Topics also discussed in the roundtable included not leaving anyone behind, as well as formal and informal water education and financing to help support the movement.

Need to know

Carolina Tornesi MacKinnon, of the World Youth Parliament for Water, moderated the panel on data and information.

One of the game changers discussed was the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, which is expected to be discussed at the COP27 in Egypt next month.

Participants also discussed the need for databases and better information on water use and water quality, that are open to all, without proprietary use or high subscription prices.

Some also mentioned the importance of gender, referring to the UNICEF statistic that women and girls spend 200 million hours a day gathering water, which allows them far less time than they need for studies and income generating activities.

Innovation

Among the game changers discussed in the innovation roundtable moderated by Marc Zeitoun, from the Geneva Water Hub, participants discussed topics such as appointing water champions within parliaments, to connect decision makers with the issue.

Some participants highlighted unconventional water resources, noting that in some countries, water reuse cannot be part of the solution because there is no water to reuse. Such technologies also include desalinating systems, and methods of extracting water from air.

Accessing finance

In the roundtable on financing, moderated by the economic development body OECD’s Anna Dupont, one of the topics discussed was the importance of linking water to the resilience and climate change agenda.

Close to 80 per cent of natural disasters so far this century are water-related.

Participants also discussed financial implications and how to drive investment, given rising interest across the private sector in water-related, sustainability issues. The interest is being driven in part by the need to access resources on the part of business.

Without action, poverty will rise and desperately needed investments in climate adaptation and mitigation simply will not happen, the agency warned. 

The paper – Avoiding ‘Too Little Too Late’ on International Debt Relief – highlights the ripple effects of government responses to the recent economic crisis, and the potential impacts. 

‘Small pill’ to swallow 

It explains why debt restructuring cannot wait until interest rates drop, or a global recession occurs. 

“Debt relief would be a small pill for wealthy countries to swallow, yet the cost of inaction is brutal for the world’s poorest. We cannot afford to repeat the mistake of providing too little relief, too late, in managing the developing economy debt burden,” said Achim Steiner, the UNDP Administrator. 

The 54 countries with severe debt problems include 28 of the top 50 most climate-vulnerable nations in the world.   

Although they are home to more than half of the world’s poorest people, they represent little more than three percent of the global economy.  

Potential debt deal 

The paper outlines several policy actions for debt restructuring, noting that a deal could be on the horizon.  

Markets conditions around the globe are shifting rapidly. UNDP said volatility is being fuelled by “a synchronized fiscal and monetary contraction”, along with low growth. 

Currently, nearly 20 developing countries are now paying more than 10 percentage points over United States Treasury bond rates to borrow money on capital markets.  

At the same time, holders of many developing economy bonds report they are trading at deep discounts ranging from between 40 to 60 cents on the dollar. 

Conditions favour negotiations 

A debt deal might now be possible, UNDP said, as these conditions encourage private creditors to negotiate debt relief under a Common Framework elaborated by the G20 group of countries, the world’s largest economies. 

“When emerging market bonds trade at 40 cents on the dollar, private creditors suddenly become more open to negotiation. The missing ingredient, at this moment, are financial assurances from major creditor governments to clinch a deal,” said George Gray Molina, Senior Economist at UNDP. 

Rich countries have the resources to end the debt crisis, the paper argues, as the rapid deterioration is partly due to their own domestic policies.  

This week, G20 finance ministers will meet in Washington, DC, ahead of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  

UNDP believes conditions are ripe for creditors and debtors to kickstart debt restructuring talks under the G20 framework. 

The paper proposes a way forward, focused on key areas such as debt sustainability analysis, official creditor coordination, private creditor participation, and the use of state-contingent debt clauses that target future economic and fiscal resilience.  

Climate funding needed 

Furthermore, the Common Framework could shift focus to comprehensive restructurings that will allow countries a faster return to growth, financial markets, and development progress. 

UNDP pointed out that effective debt restructuring is only one vital element of ensuring developing countries have sufficient finances to achieve progress on sustainable development.  

New sources of funding are urgently needed, the agency said, for investments in climate adaptation and mitigation. 

The theme of this year’s World Space Week is “Space and Sustainability”. The UN Week, the largest annual space event in the world, will focus on explaining how the technologies developed to send objects and people into space, are having a direct benefit on the ground.

Maruška Strah, the Executive Director of the World Space Week Association, is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, and a member of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, as well as the European Centre for Space Law. She is studying for a PhD in Legal Studies at the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna, where she is focusing her research on Space Traffic Management, her main area of interest.

UN News Is interest in space growing?

Maruška Strah When I joined four years ago, we counted around 4000 World Space Week events, in 86 countries. Last year, we recorded 6418 events in 96 countries, so it’s really growing.

More nations are becoming involved, and more people are concerned about space, what’s happening in the sector, and also how space can benefit humanity.

I think there are several reasons for this. One is that we are seeing a lot of positive news from the media, when it comes to space exploration, and the dream of going into space is becoming more realistic, for more people.

Artists in space

Also, we are now understanding that everyone has a place in the space sector. It’s not just for astronauts, engineers, or scientists. I’m a policy person, and I didn’t know that space lawyers exist until I chose my Masters degree!

There will be opportunities for so many kinds of people, if we want to have a presence on another planet. We need artists, music, paintings, books. There’s really an opportunity to explore, and we’ve seen a growing number of events that are related to exhibitions or art contests.

UN News What is the theme of World Space Week this year?

Maruška Strah Space and sustainability. This is very important thing, because it demonstrates our values, as an association committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There will be many really interesting events, looking at how we can use space related technologies and applications for the benefit of life on Earth, and how we can protect space as a resource.

For example, US Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a new coalition of space companies that will focus on increasing the space industry’s capacity to meet the demand for skilled technical work for workforce in in the space sector.

Agencies team up

Several space agencies, including Azer Cosmos in Azerbaijan, the Pakistan space agency, and the European Space Agency, are planning events throughout the week, and Airbus will be sending its employees to talk to students in schools, showing them what they do, to inspire them.

Several individuals will be hosting events, and the calendar is filling up. All participants and event organizers are encouraged to register their events on a global calendar on our website, and send us information so that we can promote them on social media and other communications channels.

UN News What excites you about space?

Maruška Strah It’s the only sector I ever came across that involves everyone. I don’t think that we can go to space and take the issues we have here with us. I think we have to overcome them; conflicts have to be solved.

If I ever travel to space, I don’t want to just sit in a rocket and end up on another planet. I would like poets with me. I want to see artists create amazing art based on what we see It’s something that sparks imagination. And with that, you have progress.

It’s also progress here on Earth, and this was one of the main reasons why we selected space and sustainability to be to be this year’s theme, because space technologies and applications directly benefit humanity.

Out of the 169 targets within the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, 65 directly benefit from space technologies, and this is not even counting telecommunications. I don’t think we can survive without space technologies anymore, and I see beauty in that.

UN News Do you think that you might be able to go to space?

Maruška Strah I like this planet, and I really enjoy my life on Earth. For now, I have no need to leave, and I would like to make my environment better.