Journalist-Kenya
[NAIROBI] The African Ministers Council on
Water (AMCOW) has restated its support for Africa's
adoption of a distinct water goal in the post 2015 development agenda.
In a press release on the occasion of the World Water Day, AMCOW said
that access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene; for food and energy
security; and for peace and cooperation in trans-boundary and coastal waters
management was an imperative for Africa.
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| Tunis Post 2015 Africa Wide Water Consultations Participants |
Speaking on the Africa position at a High Level Forum hosted by
the Government of Netherlands to mark the global celebration of the World Water
Day, AMCOW Executive Secretary, Bai Mass Taal, stressed the need to guarantee
water security for universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene; for
food and energy security; and for peace and cooperation in trans boundary and
coastal waters management.
An Africa Wide Stakeholders Forum on Water on
the Post 2015 development agenda which met in Tunis on March 1st
2015 proposed the adoption of Water Secure World for All by 2030.
The proposal was endorsed at the African Union
led Africa Post 2015 Dialogue that was convened in conjunction with the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank
(AfDB) from March 11 – 12 2013 in Tunis.
The participants at the African wide
stakeholders’ forum on water gave some reasons why the agenda should prioritize
water to include:
- Access to clean water and sanitation is prerequisite for healthy human living and has direct impact on the well-being and productivity of the population as well as sustaining freshwater ecosystems.
- Sustainable and equitable economic development and poverty reduction have water as a pre-requisite.
- Water and sanitation are human rights and increasingly widely recognised as such.
- Water is essential for ensuring food and energy security, which in turn can only be achieved if the cross sectorial inter linkages are taken into account.
- Water resources management is a key instrument for mitigating the impacts of the currently Climate Change and Variability.
Kudos to the government of Africa! This way, people will have a safe, clean water to drink. :) I've also read somewhere that says installing water filters can be a good idea. But that's maybe too expensive, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea, Sweeetlady. Africa needs safe, clean drinking water for socioeconomic development, and to take care of some preventable water borne diseases
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