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.