100+ Global Leaders Agree to Solve Global Water-related Problems Together

Global leaders from more than 100 countries gathered around tables and agreed on the necessity of concentrating global will to solve water-related challenges. 

Ministers and heads of delegations yesterday adopted a ministerial declaration to advance water-related cooperation on a global scale in Daegu, South Korea's southern city, where the 7th World Water Forum (WWF) is being held.

Pledging joint effort on the pending issues, delegates reaffirmed that water is the core of sustainable development in the world. According to the declaration, participants urged international society to focus its capacity on dedicated water goals and water-related targets in its “Post-2015 Development Agenda.”

In a bid to seek solutions, they supported the proposal to write “water” and “sanitary” issues into the agenda of World Summit on Sustainable Development as a key environmental issue, and committed to cooperate to ensure a successful outcome at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The participants stepped up their collaborations to focus the science and technology of developed countries towards promoting knowledge and expertise-sharing, and to plan to spread successful water resource management models across borders and barriers to support undeveloped countries that are experiencing water shortages. They also stressed the importance of the convergence of information and communications technologies (ICT) in smart water management, and welcomed the inauguration of the Science and Technology Process in the water forum led by the South Korean government.   

The declaration suggested developing a friendly relationship between the interested parties of primary concerns including both advanced and developing countries, international organizations, and inter-governmental organizations. Especially for a public-private partnership, world leaders called for cooperation with the Global Green Growth Institute and the Green Climate Fund.