Mountains cited at global water conference
12.06.2015
The High Level International Conference on the Implementation of the International Decade of Water for Life (2005-2015), held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 9-10 June 2015, included a reference to mountains in its outcome document.
The two-page concluding declaration published by the Conference acknowledges the connection between mountains and water sustainability. "We encourage promoting measures that tackle global challenges, such as poverty, biodiversity loss, emerging diseases, humanitarian crises, urbanization, the impacts of natural disasters, food security, climate change, as well as small island and mountain development, which affect and are affected by water resources, adaption to climate change through water is particular importance for global discussion and actions including in COP 21 in Paris in December 2015," it reads.
“The recognition by this Conference of the vital role that mountains play in fresh water sustainability is noteworthy but the water-mountain nexus deserves even more attention,” said Rusty Butler of Utah Valley University, the only institution of higher education to be given an official seat at the conference.
The high-level meeting, attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, was organized by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with UN-Water and other international and regional organizations. Attended by representatives of UN Member States, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, members of the business community, non-governmental organizations, civil society and academia, the conference was a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the International Decade. It also provided an opportunity to discuss the challenges and gaps in the implementation of the International Decade, and on this basis, discuss recommendations as to further spreading water awareness post-2015.
“The connection between water and its sources should be better understood and recognized in international fora as a prerequisite to improve water availability, quality and quantity,” said Rosalaura Romeo, Programme Officer for the Mountain Partnership Secretariat. Mountains cover only about 22 percent of our planet’s surface and yet they provide 60 to 80 percent of freshwater resources for domestic, agricultural and industrial consumption.
Water availability and sustainable mountain development were the main topics of another conference held in Dushanbe, that of the "Dushanbe Forum of Mountain Countries 2015: Water and Mountains, which took place the day before the Water for Life conference attended by several Mountain Partnership members from Central Asia and a few representatives from other regions.
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Photo: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
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