WaterSan Perspective Reporter
October 04, 2013
Water policy goals for a sustainable future will be at the top of the agenda when 1200 participants get together in Hungary for the Budapest Water Summit 8-11 October.
A delegation from Global Water Partnership- GWP will emphasize the need for a dedicated water goal on the post-2015 agenda.
GWP Chair Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss took part in a UN Special Event in New York last week, where the successor arrangements to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were discussed. Dr. Schaefer-Preuss underlined strong support for a dedicated water goal to be part of the future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This discussion will continue in Budapest, and one of the key messages that GWP will deliver is the crucial element of cooperation, as the summit is organized under the umbrella of the UN Year for International Water Cooperation 2013.
“Collectively, GWP partners and allies are promoters of change: changing the way we manage water. To do that means turning non-cooperation on water into cooperation on water”, says Dr. Schaefer-Preuss.
High-level Participants
The Budapest Water Summit will provide a forum to facilitate consensus building amongst stakeholders concerning water and sanitation policy goals. Among several high-level participation from the UN Member States, agencies and bodies, UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon will deliver one of the opening speeches together with the President of Hungary, Mr. János Áder.
The Summit aims to contribute to the elaboration of the water-related Sustainable Development Goals and provide concrete guidance on the most pressing water issues – drinking water, sanitation, waste water treatment, integrated water management, international water cooperation, and innovative water technologies – with a view to defining the priorities of global development policy post 2015.
GWP’s representatives will participate in panels and sessions of the summit, and there will be a GWP stand in the Expo area.
