Laurence Boisson de Chazournes et Mara Tignino participent à la Conférence de l’ONU sur l’eau à New York

Background on the UN 2023 Water Conference

On 22-24 March 2023, the United Nations will hold the first global conference on freshwater in almost 50 years. The UN 2023 Water Conference aims to address the lack of progress made in tackling the global water crisis since the first UN conference on freshwater in 1977. The conference will serve as a mid-term review of the Water Action Decade and is designed to ensure that countries deliver on promises made. The conference will be action-oriented and inclusive, with multiple plenary meetings and interactive dialogues. The outcome of the conference is a Water Action Agenda that aims to fast-track water action, with contributions from all sectors of society.

Commitments of Geneva Water Hub

Water can lead us to peace. It can help build trust across all levels and scales, keep the doors open for dialogue even during conflict, and resolve tensions to enable prosperity. The Geneva Water Hub is therefore committed to Advancing Water for Peace, and intends to achieve profound and far-reaching impacts that go beyond the goals stipulated in the SDGs.

Advancing water for peace is expected to lead to:

• Widespread recognition of the potential use of water towards peaceful ends, in peacebuilding efforts, humanitarian relief, and development agendas 
• Greater recognition of the merits of using science as the basis of water-related decisions at the political level
• More effective multilateral action, by developing ways to promote water for peace through networks at multiple levels
• Advancement of the knowledge of the interplay between international water law, human rights law, international humanitarian law, international environmental law and international economic law for better protection and management of water resources.

Side Events

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes moderates the side-event “Sparing water systems in armed conflicts".

Wednesday 22 March, 11:00-12:15 EST/GMT+5, UN HQ, Conference Room 6.

Organizers: Togo, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Geneva Water Hub,UNICEF, ICRC.

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