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World Water Day 2010

Water Quality Clean and Quality Water for People

One World One Hope

The Millennium Development Goals is Common Vision & Global Commitments

22 March 2010

Geneva (Italy)

Clean and Quality Water for People

Brief Presentation by Cherif Sidi

Executive President of the World For World Organization (WFWO)

on the Occasion of the World Water Day - 22 March 2010

Genova - Italy

Can Climate Change, Adaptation Support the

Integration Management of Water and Health

in the Impact of Populations ?


By Sidi CherifExecutive President of theWorld For World Organization (WFWO)

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen and colleagues,

I have the privilege to participate to this Round Table today to observe the World Water Day 2010.Firstly let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude on behalf of the WFWO’s Board Directorsand my self, to the organization Committee partners and local authorities and to all participants andmedia for all your support to make it happened. Today we are marking this most important eventfocusing on World Water Day in this beautiful City of Geneva as part of the hart of the Mediterranean

Sea. I hope that at this Round Table, I emphasized the benefits and opportunities that WFWO and itspartners will offer in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. That is why World Water Day areso important opportunity, in order to take an action on Water and Sanitary issue, as rights for allpeoples around the world, and also to call the attention to international communities to supportdeveloping countries to have clean and quality water as rights for all, and to take an concrete action

on development process on water to achieve our global common objectives.


CONT.

Let me brief you how is essential the clean water quality for peoples ?

Today the sanitation and water crisis. Globally 884 million people (one in eight) live without safedrinking water and 2.5 billion (two in five) do not have adequate sanitation. The lack of these basicservices adversely affects people’s health, education, dignity and livelihoods. Every day 4,000children die needlessly from diarrhea, and countless others are too sick to go to school. Millions ofhours are wasted as women and children walk each day to collect filthy water. With nowhere safe

and clean to go to the toilet people are exposed to disease, lack of privacy and indignity; problemswhich are particularly acute in overcrowded urban settlements. Schools without water and sanitationcannot attract teachers and without private sanitation facilities girls often drop out as they reachpuberty. Those suffering from water-related diseases, or caring for sick children, are often unable toearn money yet face large medical expenses.

Those who are worst affected are usually from the most vulnerable and socially excluded groupswho lack the power to call for their rights.


CONT.

The WFWO believe that water, hygiene and sanitation form the first essential step in overcoming

poverty. But, despite water being consistently cited as a top priority by poor communities and the fact

that sanitation brings the greatest return on investment of any development intervention ($9 returned

in increased productivity for every $1 spent 3), they have been overlooked in the global development

agenda. In 2000 world leaders agreed to halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015 and a

target was set to halve the proportion of people without safe water. Two years later in 2002, when the

Millennium Development Goals were launched, a target was also added for sanitation. Today

sanitation still remains seriously neglected and, at current rates of progress, the target will be missed

by a staggering 700 million people. Water fares somewhat better and is on track globally. However,

global figures hide regional differences and current trends predict that in Sub-Saharan Africa the

water target will be missed and the sanitation target won’t be met for another century. To bring the

water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals targets within reach, aid flows need to increase

more than by $4 billion a year from 2009 levels, with an additional $2 billion allocated to Sub-Saharan

Africa.


CONT.

The WFWO will continue to strengthen the importance of the Water and Sanitation

cannot be viewed in isolation. Without these basic services many of the other

Millennium Development Goals will also fail. Targets set for maternal and child health,

primary education, gender equality and economic growth are all in some way dependant

on people gaining access to the most basic of human needs: safe water, improved

hygiene and sanitation. These issues will become ever more pertinent as the world’s

population continues to grow, as cities expand and there is increasing stress on global

water resources. This, together with the impact of climate change, means there is an

increasingly urgent need to tackle the sanitation and water crisis.


How the water is essential for the life?

•Water stress in developing countries is ABSOLUTE

•Water scarcity has impaired development and affected health

•Climate change will make it worse!

•Adaptation & coping mechanisms have evolved and lots of experience has

been gained

•Existing adaptation and coping mechanisms need further refinement and

others must be developed and employed


How Water Scarcity and Insecurity: Causes and Impacts ?


Water Scarcity and Household Water Insecurity present majorthreats to population with no access to sanitation.


Water Scarcity and Insecurity: a Major Threat to Public Health

Less water available to households

for hygiene & health protection

Less water delay extension of supplies

to unserved communities

Cities run dry: intermittent supplieswith implications to quality

and availability of water

Less water available for food production

Wastewater used for food production

Disease incidence increases

Disease incidence high amongstunserved

Increased disease incidence

Less food security and malnutrition

Increased disease incidence if

unsafely practiced


Pressure on resources will continue to grow... in the World


Pressure on resources will continue to grow...

•Agriculture 70% - double to 2050?

•Industry 20% - rapid increase, pollution

•Municipal 10% - some increase, pollution

•Great national and regional differences

•Increase 6 - fold since 1900 - decoupling?

•Other users not well integrated - energy?


Climate change predictions on freshwater resources

in developing countries:

• Less rainfall

• Shorter rainy seasons

• Hotter region

• More evaporation

• Less ground cover

• Less surface water

• Reduced groundwater reserves

• Less freshwater availability


Adaptation Practices

•Response of environmental policies and water management

•Response of people and the community

•Response of the development policies

•Response of the health system


Water management policies and practices coping with water scarcity


Adaptation to water management policies: mainstreaming demand

management to the environment and health

• Use non-conventional water sources (eg. Desalination, wastewater, low quality water)

• Efficient and balanced allocation of water by quality and quantity

• Use water efficiently: US$ 1 invested in water efficiency returns two US$ 2 in health

and environment benefits

• Environmental protection for pollution control and recycling


People’s response and adaptation

• Live with less water without suffering excessive disease burden

• Behavior change to use water efficiently

• Maintain high standards of hygiene


Response of development policies

• Encourage economic growth that is less dependent on water

• Use water where it brings highest social and economic returns after

securing basic domestic needs

• Import water-intensive products – do not make them!


The health system response and adaptation

• Strengthen water quality surveillance

• Play lead role to ensure efficient water quality management

• Invest in health education

• Play lead role to maintain high sanitation standards &

pollution control standards

• Play lead role to ensure safe reuse of wastewater


Recommendations and Conclusions

• Water stress in developing countries is ABSOLUTE

• Water scarcity has impaired development and affected health

• Climate change will make it worse! But really how worse can it get ?

• Adaptation & coping mechanisms have evolved and lots of experience

has been gained

• Existing adaptation and coping mechanisms need further refinement

and others must be developed & deployed


Considerations for the discussion for the Round Table

• How can Climate variability/change adaptation – land and water

management clearly essential for peoples ?

• How can Water security, food security, energy security, economic security

all linked to land and water issues and thus to climate change adaptation

will have impact on populations?

• What are the understanding drivers and guidelines needed – and

interactions Land and water issues are “local”–climate change adaptation

issues on a “global scales in the future” ?


How can climate change adaptation push the water/land “agenda”?

• Change or thinking –understand linkages

• Push cross-sectoral priorities

• Positive impacts on “management and governance”– at all levels

• Mobilize additional financial resources –but also influence current flows

• The Nairobi Statement on Land and Water

• Management for Adaptation to Climate Change


We recommend to follow up the Nairobi Statement:

•Guiding Principle No. 1 (Sustainable Development):

Adaptation must be addressed in a broader development context, recognizing

climate change as an added challenge to reducing poverty, hunger, diseases and

environmental degradation.

•Guiding Principle No. 2 (Resilience):

Building resilience to ongoing and future climate change calls for adaptation to

start now by addressing existing problems in land and water management


CONT.

•Guiding Principle No. 3 (Governance): Strengthening institutions for land and

water management is crucial for effective adaptation and should build on the

principles of participation of civil society, gender equality, subsidiarity and

decentralisation

•Guiding Principle No. 4 (Information): Information and knowledge for local

adaptation must be improved, and must be considered a public good to be

shared at all levels

•Guiding Principle No. 5 (Economics and Financing): The cost of inaction, and

the economic and social benefits of adaptation actions, calls for increased and

innovative investment and financing


Toward a world of thirst ?The terms of the equation remain simple: for the next few decades, given the volume of available

water, and under the present circumstances, will it be possible to provide enough water to apopulation forecast to be at least 9 billion by 2050 (according to the medium hypothesis proposed bythe United Nations) using a volume which will be roughly the same as it is now?


Toward a world of thirst ?In the context of stress and scarcity, the challenge will be to find creative ways to manage water resources without

emphasizing already existing disputes and conflicts. This is raising important questions: is it reasonable to envisage

more long distance water transfer without threatening water reserves and harming environmental balance? Which arethe countries and regions that will suffer the most due to lack of water? And in which countries will an important part

of the population still have to wait for decades before being supplied with improved water? This 2008 update of the

Vital Water Graphics is aimed at giving an overview of the state of water resources in the world and providing answers

to these important questions.

CONT.


Thank you for your attention and

I hope that we will conclude this Round Table

with concrete action to achieve our common objectives

“on Clean and Quality Water for People is Right for All”

www.worldforworld.org

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