欧美文化:World water leaders pledge to advance UN SDGs

COPENHAGEN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The International Water Association (IWA) on Tuesday convened a high-level summit that brought together prominent figures from the water industry with government and municipal politicians to discuss water's role in advancing climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).

"Policymakers must put water at the heart of action plans, and everyone has a role to play. Business as usual is not an option if we are to achieve the SDGs and climate targets," Joakim Harlin, director of the Freshwater Ecosystems Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said in his opening address at the summit held during the ongoing World Water Congress & Exhibition.

The summit, which featured ministerial contributions from India, South Africa and other countries, had the theme "water as a key to action on climate and the Sustainable Development Goals" and addressed the three major topics of "finance, governance, and partnerships."

"The IWA Summit has provided an ideal opportunity to focus on water in advance of COP27 (the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled for Nov. 6-18) and of the March 2023 UN review of the Water Action Decade," Tom Mollenkopf, IWA president, was quoted in the press release as saying.

The summit concluded with three major calls to action: the urgent need for resilient water solutions; the critical need for freshwater ecosystems to be "factored in as part of the solution;" and the pursuit of joint efforts and partnerships "to accelerate action and make a difference."

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, an international gathering of over 10,000 top water professionals and businesses, is hosted by the capital of Denmark between Sept. 11 and Sept. 15.