New Delhi, June 03 The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with the United Nations from June 6 to 9, 2022 in Dushanbe is holding the Second High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028 entitled “Catalyzing water action and partnership at the local, national, regional and global levels”.
The Conference will be co-chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. 2000 delegates from around 70 countries are expected to attend this conference.
From India, Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajendra Singh, popularly known as Waterman of India & Magsaysay Award recipient are attending the event.
The Conference is the main preparatory event for the UN Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the implementation of the objectives of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028, which will be held in 2023 in New York, and will also provide recommendations to the forthcoming High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Globally, the pressure on water resources is increasing from rapidly growing demands and climate change. Sustainable management and use of water could reduce some of that pressure, but actions towards improvement of existing practices are lagging.
The Second Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference will focus on how governments, the United Nations and its entities, other international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, communities, local governments and other stakeholders can catalyze water action and partnerships to contribute to the implementation of water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development and the New Urban Agenda at all levels, while supporting the global response to the COVID-19 crisis.
the Conference will address the key role of water, sanitation and hygiene in addressing the COVID-19 crisis and other public health threats of water-borne diseases, as well as critical interlinkages between water and climate change in the context of water resources management as a key factor for climate adaptation and mitigation.
The Conference will also provide an opportunity for sharing progress and constraints in the implementation of the actions and partnerships, initiated by governments and other stakeholders within the Water Action Decade, including the First Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference and the other events towards the 2023 UN Water Conference in New York. Speakers and panelists are requested to showcase real action on the ground.
The Conference in 2022 will also provide a mechanism to encourage governments, the United Nations and all other partners to translate good intentions into actions on the ground.