UN’s Water Action Agenda springs into effect: The United Nations’ first water conference since almost half a century closed over the weekend with the adoption of the Water Action Agenda under efforts to safeguard “humanity’s most precious global common good,” according to a statement released on Friday. The non-binding agenda adopted during the 2023 UN Water Conference outlines several commitments ranging from better food choices to having water reappraised as a leading economic driver.

What’s on the table? The 700 commitments would be put into action through having new and alternative food systems to slash the unfeasible use of water in agriculture and launching a new global information system to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and others. Those include appointing a Special Envoy for Water ahead of the SDG summit next September. The USD 300 bn in pledges made to back the agenda could help unlock at least USD 1 tn of socioeconomic and ecosystem gains, according to UN officials.

Who’s on board? The US announced it will provide up to USD 49 bn in investments under its commitment to the agenda “to ensure that climate-resilient water and sanitation remains a priority worldwide,” according to its statement during the conference. Under the plan, USAID will work with the US Congress to commit USD 700 mn until 2026 to for water solutions in 22 nations across Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. The UK will also provide GBP 18.5 mn for water in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to a statementby the British government. Separately, Saudi Arabia said it has allocated USD 80 bn for water projects in the coming years under efforts to provide safe drinking water for all,SPA reported citing statements by the Deputy Minister for Water at the Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulaziz Al Shaibani.

The region wants more action: UAE’s Climate Change and Environment Minister Mariam bin Mohammed Almheiri urged more investments poured into water sustainability during the conference. She said water challenges once limited to desert countries or small developing nations were now seen. “Yet investment in the issue has never seen higher returns,” Amheiri said during an interactive dialogue at the conference. Egypt’s Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Suwilem also took partin the conference, stressing on the necessity of not dealing with water as an economic good, according to a statement by the ministry. He spoke of Egypt being among states facing combined challenges resulting from climate change and water scarcity, highlighting a water deficit of up to 55%. Suwilem stressed the importance of an effective transboundary water cooperation for Egypt as he shed light on “unilateral moves” over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

And there are bns at risk globally: Around 2 bn people — roughly 26% of the world’s population — do not have access to safe drinking water, a landmark report released by the UN ahead of the conference showed. Some 3.6 bn people lack safely managed sanitation according to the report titled UN World Water Development Report 2023 (pdf). Ensuring clean water under SDG goals for 2030 would cost between USD 600 bn and USD 1 tn annually, according to statements by the report’s editor-in-chief Richard Connor.

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