UN Chief urges world leaders to invest in water security.
NEW YORK, June 7 (KUNA) — United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged late Tuesday world leaders to invest in water security, amid increasing demand and the burgeoning effects of climate change.
This was during Guterres’ participation in a Security Council meeting on preventive diplomacy and transboundary waters, which was chaired by Bolivian President Evo Morales, which holds the UNSC’s presidency for the month.
He stressed that the water serves as a catalyst for cooperation among nations, even those that are not on good terms.
He commended the UNSC meeting for highlighting how water is and should remain a reason for cooperation not conflict.
"With demand for fresh water projected to grow by more than 40 percent by the middle of the century, and with climate change having a growing impact, water scarcity is a growing concern," he said.
According to his speech, he told the Council that by 2050, at least one in four people will live in a country where the lack of fresh water is chronic or recurrent, although three-quarters of United Nations Member States share rivers or lake basins with their neighbors.
Speaking to the press prior to the meeting, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said that in order to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals, everyone on the planet needs access to clean water and sanitation, and in turn will involve resolving any transboundary water issues.
He strongly supported Guterre’s focus on prevention, preventative diplomacy, making sure that wherever there are disputes in relation to water that those are resolved before they spiral downwards into conflict.
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