The UN 2023 Water Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan, on 22-24 March in New York, is expected to be a 'watershed' moment.
In the lead up to the conference, SWA partners are making efforts at national and global levels to draw attention to water, sanitation, and hygiene issues, calling for increased investments, political prioritization, and bold commitments for the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation.
The SWA Secretariat is compiling stories from partners on its blog regularly and is encouraging those preparing for the conference to share their latest updates.
Also read: SWA at the UN 2023 Water Conference
SWA’s Latin American Youth Partners Prepare for UN Water Conference
The Red de Jóvenes por el Agua de Centroamérica (RJxAC), a youth-led organization in Central America, has been ramping up its advocacy efforts ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York. RJxAC has presented several demands to governments, including the recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation, greater youth participation in water resource management, and the approval of the Escazu Agreement in Latin American countries. With support from the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, RJxAC has also joined the Global Youth Movement, which aims to mobilize young activists at the upcoming conference. Kenneth Alfaro, the Regional Coordinator, is calling for youth participation to be the rule, rather than the exception. RJxAC has organized preparation events and aims for a real youth representation in the conference.
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Ghana and Benin CSOs call on Head of State for political prioritization of water, sanitation and hygiene
SWA Civil Society partners in Benin and Ghana for building and sustaining political will to eliminate inequalities have produced civil society declarations to mobilize their Heads of State around water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues for national political prioritization of the sector.
CSOs are using the upcoming Water Conference as an immediate opportunity and political moment to advocate for WASH and highlight gaps that national governments must address to ensure access to services for all.
In Benin, SWA Civil Society partners and other national NGOs prepared a statement and organized a press conference to publicize their intent and the needs of the sector ahead of the immediate opportunity of the UN Water Conference.
In Ghana, SWA Civil Society partner led the consultation process to formulate a statement appealing to their government to increase steps towards universal WASH coverage, by
Complete versions of the CSO statements will be used as ongoing advocacy tools from each SWA priority country and will be published in full on the SWA website after the conference.
SWA CSO partners in Liberia advocate for stronger follow-up and implementation of commitments
SWA CSO partners in Liberia have released a video statement of intent ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Timothy Kpeh from United Youth for peace, Education, Transparency & Development in Liberia will be representing the asks of CSOs in the country with a strong focus on people with disabilities.
Listen to the full video below:
SWA and the Ministry of Hydraulics, Sanitation and Hygiene in Côte d'Ivoire call for increased collaboration of partners in the water and sanitation sector
In a co-creation workshop: "Strengthening Collaboration on National Priorities for Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene" co-convened by SWA and the Rural Sanitation Department (DAR) under the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, several actors including the Ministries responsible for Water and Sanitation, Health, Environment, as well as non-governmental organizations identified 15 actions that will support the implementation of commitments made by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire.
These commitments include:
Dr. Balwant Godara, Political Advisor at SWA, expressed the common ambition of SWA and DAR to bringing together other partners to ensure that the government's commitments are honoured.
Ms. Hélène Bragori, Director of the Rural Sanitation Department and SWA government focal point, praised the excellent collaboration with SWA, highlighting the importance of such initiatives for reviewing the status of collaboration and improving actions for achieving SDG6.
Ms. Dina, Responsible of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) programmes at UNICEF Côte d'Ivoire, stressed the need to align partner actions with the three priority documents of Côte d'Ivoire, namely the NDP 2021-2025, the PS'Gouv, and the roadmaps of the ministries.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Fidèle Behibro, Technical Advisor representing Minister Bouaké Fofana, recognized the significance of the workshop's theme to government action and urged that the dynamics are observed during the meeting could be maintained on a daily basis in the services.
This workshop was held as part of the preparations for the UN 2023 Water Conference.
Empowering youth as agents of change in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector
Young people play a vital role in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector, as they are directly affected by the lack of service provisions and are often marginalized in decision-making. However, they are not consulted in most countries during the process of preparing poverty reduction strategies or national development plans.
To address this, SWA convened a session together with the International Secretariat for Water to provide resources to the Global Youth Movement members and young people in their journey of change and to prepare for the UN 2023 Water Conference. The session highlighted the importance of being part of global partnerships like SWA, advocacy tools that can be used to reach out to decision-makers, and accountability mechanisms such as the SWA Mutual Accountability Mechanism. The Global Youth Movement also shared the #FillUpTheGlass campaign to call on all young people to join forces and leverage water, sanitation, and hygiene for all, as well as youth work in the sector.
During the session, SWA Regional Coordinator for Africa, Mr. Kevin Roussel highlighted the tools young people can use in high-level advocacy, while Mr. Kenneth Alfaro Alvarado, Regional Coordinator of the Youth Network for Water in Central America and an active SWA youth partner shared examples of how youth organizations are contributing to change in the region.
Watch the session here
SWA CSO partners in South Sudan advocate for the human rights to water and sanitation
As part of their advocacy efforts, SWA Civil Society focal point, RUWASSA, was given an opportunity to present civic efforts in addressing water issues at the grassroots level and some of the recommendations on gaps were taken onboard by the national delegation going to New York to represent the country.
Statement of Intent: SWA CSO partners in South Sudan
Water, sanitation, and hygiene are fundamental to all South Sudanese' growth, well-being, dignity, productivity, and prosperity.
Since 2019, floods and drought have ravaged the country for four consecutive years and caused massive displacement with the destruction of the limited water infrastructure. Water is the lifeline and part of the identity of being South Sudanese. The discussion on water goes beyond water security; access to water as a life-giving resource is a fundamental human right, along with access to sanitation. This is central to our advocacy of civil society actors in South Sudan.
South Sudan has been aid-dependent, most notably in clean water provision. Therefore, there is a need to continue humanitarian support to the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector to ensure South Sudanese attain good health and lead the socio-economic transformation in the country.
In this Water Action Decade, South Sudan CSOs, through continuous coordination and collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, strive to increase investment in water supply and sanitation infrastructure by advocating for increased national budget allocation. Furthermore, we will continue to take advantage of mutual accountability between development partners in providing water for everyone everywhere.
In preparation for the UN 2023 Water Conference, the SWA Civil Society focal point, RUWASSA, was given an opportunity to present civic efforts in addressing water issues at the grassroots level and some of the recommendations on gaps were taken onboard by the national delegation going to New York to represent the country.
In the African spirit of Ubuntu, the government acknowledges that CSOs have a critical role in WASH and are the 3rd/4th stool leg in essential service delivery in the current humanitarian environment. Therefore, as we civil society actors committed to strengthening the bridge and trust between the Government and External Support Agencies in effectively reaching out and serving grassroots communities with access to safe water, improved hygiene and public health services with strong gender and disability mainstreaming at all levels for better-improved health for all.
Therefore, this month, RUWASSA, representing Civil Society actors in WASH, will attend the first United Nations Conference on Water in 46 years to demand that the States ensure all human rights are upheld and protected- No One deserves to be left behind.
SWA CSO partners in Peru released statement of intent ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference
SWA CSO partners in Peru have released a statement of intent ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference, outlining their key messages and asks to be presented at the conference.
Statement of Intent from SWA CSO partners in Peru
Having clean water and living free from the hazards of poor water and sanitation does not mean that the water supply and sanitation are privileges: they are fundamental human rights.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene are indispensable for the growth, well-being, dignity, productivity and prosperity of all Peruvians.
There is a large urban-rural gap in access to water and sanitation services. In urban areas, access to the public water supply is 94.7%, and access to sanitation services is 89.2%, while in rural areas, it is 77.6% and 30.2%, respectively. Nationally, 40.6% of the population consumes chlorinated water, 50.6% in urban areas and only 2.7% in rural areas.
We must make possible the human rights of access to water and sanitation without toxins or organic load that affects the health of Peruvians. According to the United Nations rapporteur for the human right to water and sanitation, "...10 million Peruvians..., ingest toxins, such as heavy metals, with the water they receive". Additionally, 30.3% of domestic wastewater is not treated and is discharged into different bodies of water.
Therefore, as representatives of Redes del Agua and the Civil Society focal point of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), we are committed to making access to safe water and sanitation services possible for all, reducing the current gaps and leaving no one behind. In that framework, we will attend the United Nations Water Conference to be held between 22 and 24 March bringing our message as a civil society:
We will join forces at the United Nations Conference for the human right to safe water and sanitation for all Peruvians.
Signatories- Ana María Acevedo – Punto focal de las OSC en Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), Red Agua Segura – Fanel Guevara, Alternativa - Sonia Rodríguez, Diaconía -Edelvis Rodríguez, Alas de Esperanza -Elizabeth Arias Coronel, IPROGA - Francisco Soto, AGUA C - Andrés Alencastre, PUCP – Ciencias Sociales – Teresa Ore, SER – Alejandro Laos.
SWA civil society partners are amplifying SWA partnership messages
In Pakistan, the CSO focal point has taken a proactive approach to disseminating the partnership’s messages with other water, sanitation, and hygiene actors in the country, with the aim to influence national and provincial government.
Our CSO partner in Cape Verde shared a powerful video message, by a young Cap Verdian, on the importance of human rights to water and sanitation. She emphasizes that every Cape Verdean has the right to access clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, and that these essential resources should not be considered luxuries, but fundamental human rights. Governments have a duty and responsibility to ensure that clean water and sanitation are available for all. The young speaker plans to attend the first UN Conference on Water in 46 years to demand that States take action to guarantee these human rights for all.
Her message:
"All Cape Verdeans have the right to clean water, sanitation, and health. Clean water and hygiene are not luxuries, but fundamental human rights. Governments have the duty and responsibility of guaranteeing clean water and sanitation for all. This is why I will go to the first United Nations Conference on Water in 46 years, and we will demand that States guarantee these human rights for all."
SWA CSO partners are collaborating with Governments for multi-stakeholder national preparation for the Conference
In Mali, line ministries and key sector actors, including Civil Society, came together to validate the national preparation process and sector report for the UN 2023 Water Conference. SWA partners from across the six different constituencies were represented and CSO partners (CN_CIEPA and ACF Mali) further advocated on partnership messaging.
Civil society organizations partners in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Zambia are collaborating with their respective line ministries to prepare national delegations for the upcoming UN 2023 Water Conference. In Malawi and Sierra Leone, CSOs have already held meetings with the water and sanitation ministers, and have also engaged with the Ministry of Finance.
SWA CSO partners are asking for stronger and more relevant government delegations in New York
Civil society organizations in Brazil have sent an open letter to the Government requesting a qualified delegation to be sent to the UN 2023 Water Conference. The letter emphasizes Brazil's significant share of the world's freshwater resources, at 12%, and stresses the importance of having a strong delegation to actively participate in the plenary and dialogue sessions during the conference.
Full letter here.
A campaign has been launched in France by Coalition Eau, a group of French NGOs, along with Action Contre La Faim and Secours Islamique France. The campaign calls for President Emmanuel Macron's participation in the upcoming UN 2023 Water Conference.
Watch campaign video.
Mutual Accountability Mechanism Week
The SWA Secretariat launched the Mutual Accountability Mechanism Week (#MAMWeek) on social media from 6-9 March. This dedicated week celebrated commitments and progress made towards SDG 6 at national, regional and global levels, and highlighted the importance of accountability.
During the #MAMWeek, the Secretariat called on partners to report on their progress and/or table new commitments towards improving water, sanitation and hygiene services. The response was positive, and SWA received commitments from various stakeholders, including the first commitments from a youth-led organization.
Partners in Nepal reviewing their commitments ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference Conference
In preparation for the UN 2023 Water Conference, partners in Nepal held a series of multi-stakeholder meetings, including a Joint Sector Review with a focus on governance, institutional arrangements, and capacity building for improving the country's water, sanitation, and hygiene sector.
Siddhartha Das, the SWA Regional Coordinator for Asia, was in Nepal for a technical visit and participated in these meetings to review commitments made under the SWA Mutual Accountability Mechanism, and discuss further sectoral and cross-sectoral collaborations. The meetings also included discussions with the Joint Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance and Water Supply to explore possibilities for cross-sectoral collaboration. The meeting was also an opportunity to share SWA's Handbook for Finance Ministers. Mr. Das also met with Hon. Abdul Khan, Minister of Water Supply, to discuss sector strengthening and mutual accountability.
These meetings provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and identify opportunities for improving the WASH sector in Nepal. The SWA Mutual Accountability Mechanism ensures that all stakeholders are accountable for their commitments towards achieving SDG 6.
Zimbabwe preparing to launch its Presidential Compact on WASH at the UN 2023 Water Conference
At the UN 2023 Water Conference, Hon. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, will represent the President and launch the Presidential Compact on water, sanitation and hygiene.
The compact includes new strategies on financing, ending open defecation, addressing waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera, and ensuring that even the country’s most rural residents have equal access to water and sanitation services. President Mnangagwa will launch the Compact in Zimbabwe in late March.
Zimbabwe began developing the Presidential Compact after joining the UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership (SWA) in 2010. SWA, along with its 372 global partners, has provided the country’s leaders with technical assistance to draft a 5-year financing strategy, theoretical and practical guidance on developing the Compact, and regular assessments of progress on water and sanitation goals.
In February, SWA Regional Coordinator for Africa, Kevin Roussel was in Zimbabwe for a technical visit to discuss and plan for the launch of the Presidential Compact at the Conference.
About the Presidential Compact