UN / MAR DEL PLATA TO WATER CONFERENCE 2023

STORY: UN / MAR DEL PLATA TO WATER CONFERENCE 2023
TRT: 02:44
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / SPANISH / NATS

DATELINE: 22, 24 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY

SHOTLIST:

22 MARCH2023, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, United Nations Headquarters

24 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, meeting room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sandra Métayer, Representative, Butterfly Effect:
“On the international level our analysis is that there is a lack of multilateral dialogue on water and this is slowing progress towards the international goals.”
4. Med shot, meeting room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sandra Métayer, Representative, Butterfly Effect:
6. “Second, water and sanitation issues do not benefit from a dedicated UN agency. So the policy of water is addressed by many sectors, many other spaces, UN bodies, so it is fragmented.”
7. Med shot, meeting room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sandra Métayer, Representative, Butterfly Effect:
“There is no international fund dedicated to water and sanitation. And finally, fourth, there is not an international committee or space dedicated to water and the United Nations.”
9. Wide shot, meeting room
10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Hania Pérez de Cuéllar Lubienska, Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, Peru:
“Since I was a child, I have great affection of the ideals of the United Nations and an admiration for the work of the organization, these feelings were imparted to me by my grandfather and mentor, Ambassador Javier Perez de Cuellar, who, as many know, was Secretary-General of the United Nations for two consecutive terms. It was he who, by his example, modeled my vocation for public service. One of his main concerns was the fate of developing countries.”
11. Wide shot, meeting room
12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Hania Pérez de Cuéllar Lubienska, Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, Peru:
“That is why I am here today, to urge the international representation to look at Peru and this new administration as an opportunity. I call on all Peruvian, Latin American and world leaders of the member counties to get out comfort zone, roll up our sleeves, put on our boots and lead the political, social, cultural and economic transformation that we need to face enormous challenges that our peoples demand in particular with the drinking water and sanitation agenda. It is not a matter of financial resources. It is, above all, about leadership and political will.”
13. Med shot, meeting room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Neil Dhot, Executive Director, AquaFed:
“We are going to need to create a working group to promote progress and a working group is going to be trying to secure kind of binding Global Water mechanisms for water governance. And that's going to be kind of focused on the UN General Assembly. Okay. Are we agreed on that because I think that's a very strong message that's like we're not having a talk shop here. We've got a very, very clear prop and action and a clear target which is UN General Assembly in…September?”
15. Wide shot, meeting room

STORYLINE:

Peruvian Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation called world leaders to “get out comfort zone, roll up our sleeves, put on our boots and lead the political, social, cultural and economic transformation that we need to face enormous challenges that our peoples demand in particular with the drinking water and sanitation agenda.”

Speaking at the 2023 Water Conference’s Interactive Side Event “From Mar del Plata to the UN 2023 Water Conference: where do we go?” in New York today (24 Mar), Hania Pérez de Cuéllar Lubienska, in her video statement, said, “Since I was a child, I have great affection of the ideals of the United Nations and an admiration for the work of the organization, these feelings were imparted to me by my grandfather and mentor, Ambassador Javier Perez de Cuellar, who, as many know, was Secretary-General of the United Nations for two consecutive terms.”

She continued, “It was he who, by his example, modeled my vocation for public service. One of his main concerns was the fate of developing countries.”

Sandra Métayer, who represents Butterfly Effect, said, “On the international level our analysis is that there is a lack of multilateral dialogue on water and this is slowing progress towards the international goals.” The Butterfly Effect coalition is a network of 130+ NGOs and CSOs.

She added, “Second, water and sanitation issues do not benefit from a dedicated UN agency. So the policy of water is addressed by many sectors, many other spaces, UN bodies, so it is fragmented.”

Métayer continued, “There is no international fund dedicated to water and sanitation. And finally, fourth, there is not an international committee or space dedicated to water and the United Nations.”

Neil Dhot, Executive Director of AquaFed (the International Federation of Private Water Operators), called to create a working group “to promote progress”. He explained, “a working group is going to be trying to secure kind of binding global water mechanisms for water governance. And that's going to be kind of focused on the UN General Assembly.”

In 1977, the UN Conference on Water was held in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The recommendations made 44 years ago are known as "The Mar del Plata Action Plan."

The UN 2023 Water Conference is the first UN water conference in a generation, co-hosted by the Governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands. The conference mobilized Member States, the UN system and stakeholders alike to take action and bring successful solutions to a global scale.