Milestones 1972 - 2003. Stockholm to Kyoto
91. Milestones 1972 - 2003. Stockholm to Kyoto
First international gather- ing to have major impact on both global thinking and UN programming. Water is defined as a common good. Basic principle: Whatever the development stage and the socio-economic situation, people have the right to have access to drinking water whose quantity and quality are equal to their basic needs. Action Plan, recommen- dation A: A systemic assessment of water resources should be implemented.
UN Conference on Water, Mar del Plata. Assessment of water resources water use and efficiency
1972
1977
'...relatively little importance has been attached to water resources systematic meas- urement. The pro- cessing and compi- lation of data have also been seriously neglected.' A : Assessment of water resources, Mar del Plata Action Plan)
Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment
Mar del Plata Action Plan (MPAP)
Dates Events Outcomes
Quotations
UN Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm. Preservation and enhancement
' A point has been reached in history when we must shape our actions throughout the world with a more prudent care for their environmental consequences.' (6. Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment).
Goal: "Provide every per- son with access to water of safe quality and ade- quate quantity, along with basic sanitary facilities, by 1990." The quantitative goals were not achieved.
Realization: - Comprehensive and balance country-specific approaches are needed - Achievement of these goals will take far more time and cost than origi- nally thought.
1981-
1990
"Despite the failure to meet the quantita- tive goals, much was learnt from the expe- rience of the water and sanitation decade... There was further realisation of the importance of comprehensive and balance country-spe- cific approaches to the water and sani- tation problem. Most importantly, perhaps, was the realisation that the achievement of this goal that was set at the beginning of the decade would take far more time and cost far more money than was originally thought." (CHOGUILL C., FRANCEYS R., COTTON A., Planning for water and sanitation, 1993)
International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade
Dates Events Outcomes
1990 Global New Delhi Statement :
'establishing a new Action plan : Agenda Consultation
'Safe water and
The New Delhi
1992 UN
Rio Declaration on
21 Chapter 18 is ded- on Safe
"Some for all rather
proper means of
Statement is an appeal to
Conference
Environment and
and equitable global
partnership through icated to water. Water and
than more for some"
waste disposal ...
all nations for concerted
on environ-
Development
the creation of new Are encouraged: Sanitation for
must be at the cen- action to enable people
ment and
levels of coopera- - the global manage- the 1990's,
ter of integrated
to obtain two of the most
Development
Agenda 21
tion among States, ment of freshwater New Delhi
water resources
basic human needs -
(UNCED
key sector societies - the integration of Safe drinking
management'
safe drinking water and
Earth
sectoral water plans water, envi-
(Environment and
environmental sanitation.
Summit), Rio
and people.'
(Rio Declaration) and programmes ronmental
health, New Delhi
de Janeiro
within the framework sanitation
Statement)
Cooperation
issue, water
'The holistic man- of national economic
economics,
agement of freshwa- and social policy
ter ... and the inte- World
participation,
Declaration on the
'We will promote the provision of clean water
For the first time,
gration of sectoral Summit for
drinking
Survival, Protection
in all communities for all their children, as well
development and
water plans and pro- Children,
water and
and Development of
as universal access to sanitation.'
environment are seen
grammes within the New York
sanitation,
Children
(20. World Declaration on the Survival,
as strongly associat-
framework of nation- Health, food
human settle-
Protection and Development of Children)
ed. However, water is
al economic and supply
ments, sus-
not yet a great priori-
tainable
social policy, are of ty.
Beginning of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1990 - 2000)
development,
paramount impor-
tance for action in Creation of the 1992 International
food produc-
the 1990s and Conference on Wa- and Sustainable Development essential to sustain life, development and the environment'
Dublin Statement on Water
Principle 1 : 'Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource,
tion, climate
Commission on
Sustainable Environment, Dublin
change
beyond.'
ter and the
Principle 2 : 'Water development and management should be
based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners
(Agenda 21, Section Development, to
2, Chapter 18) Economic value of
assess the followings water, women,
and policy-makers at all levels'
Principle 3 : 'Women play a central part in the provision, man-
of the Conference.
agement and safeguarding of water'
poverty, resolving
Principle 4 : 'Water has an economic value in all its competing
conflicts, natural dis-
uses and should be recognized as an economic good'
asters, awareness
(Guiding principles. The Dublin Statement on Water and sus- tainable Development) -
Quotations Dates
Events Outcomes
Quotations
1994 Ministerial Action Programme
1995 World
Copenhagen
'To focus our efforts and policies to address
'To assign high prior- Action programme :
Summit for
Declaration on the
the root causes of poverty and to provide
Conference
ity to programmes
"To assign high prior-
Social
Social Development
for the basic needs of all. These efforts
on Drinking
designed to provide ity to programmes
Development
should include the provision of ... safe
Water
basic sanitation and designed to provide
drinking water and sanitation.'
Supply and
excreta disposal sys- basic sanitation and
Copenhagen
(Chapter I - Resolutions adopted by the
Environment
tems to urban and
excreta disposal sys-
Poverty,
Summit, Commitment 2, b. Copenhagen
al
rural areas.'
tems to urban and
water supply
Declaration)
Sanitation,
(Action Programme) rural areas."
and sanita-
Noordwijk
tion
Drinking water supply and sanita-
'Ensure the availability of and universal tion
UN Fourth
Beijing Declaration
World
and Platform for Action
access to safe drinking water and sanitation
Conference
and put in place effective public distribution
UN
Programme of Action 'To ensure that popu- Population, environ-
on Women,
systems as soon as possible.'
International
lation, environmental mental and poverty
Beijing
(106 x ,Beijing Declaration)
Conference
and poverty eradica-
eradication factors
Gender
on
tion factors are inte-
should be integrated
issues, water
Population
grated in sustainable in sustainable devel-
supply and
and
development policies, opment policies.
sanitation
Developmen
plans and pro-
grammes.'
1996 UN Conference The Habitat Agenda
'We shall also promote healthy living envi-
(Chapter III - Interrela-
on Human Set-
ronments, especially through the provision
tionships between
tlements (Ha-
of adequate quantities of safe water and
population, sustained
bitat II), Istan-
effective management of waste.'
economic growth and
bul Sustainable
(10. The Habitat Agenda, Istanbul
sustainable develop-
human settle-
Declaration on Human Settlements)
ment, C- Population
ments develop-
and Environment,
ment in an ur-
Programme of Action)
banizing world
Rome Declaration on World Food Security
Dates Events Outcomes
Quotations
World Food Summit, Rome Food, health, water and sanitation
'To combat environmental threats to food security, in particular, drought and desertifi- cation … restore and rehabilitate the natu- ral resource base, including water and watersheds, in depleted and overexploited areas to achieve greater production.' (Plan of Action, Objective 3.2, Rome Declaration)
1st World Marrakech Declaration Water Forum, Marrakech Water and sanitation, management of shared waters, pre- serving
'... to recognize the basic human needs to have access to clean water and san- itation, to establish an effective mecha- nism for manage- ment of shared waters, to support and preserve ecosystems, to encourage the effi- cient use of water...' (Marrakech Declaration)
Water run the risk of being considered as a marketable and expen- sive good. We should then pay attention that water would not be the object of a war, like petrol.
Priorities : - water and sanitation - shared water man- agement - ecosystem conserva- tion - gender equality - efficient use of water
World Water Vision : Making Water Everybody's Business
2nd World Water Forum, the Hague Water for people, water for food, water and nature, water in rivers, sov- ereignty, interbasin water educa- tion
'- Involve all stake- holders in integrated management; - Move to full-cost pricing of water serv- ices; - Increase public funding for research and innovation; - Increase coopera- tion in international water basins; - Massively increase investments in water' (Vision Statement and Key Messages, World Water Vision)
For the first time, it is recognized that a better governance and an inte- grated water resources management is needed. Water should become everybody's business. Water security becomes as crucial as hunger and environment protection in the world. Water is defined as an absolutely necessary element to the life and health of both humans and ecosystems, and a fondamental condi- tion to countries' devel- opment.