FAO Statement at the UN 2023 Water Conference High-level side event Accelerating the achievement of SDG6 in LLDCs

LLDCs HIGH-LEVEL SIDE EVENT AT THE 2023 UN WATER CONFERENCE

ACCELERATING THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SDG 6 IN LLDCS

As prepared for delivery

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the organizers of the event and I am pleased to make this intervention on behalf of FAO. 

By virtue of their geographical locations, landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are the most water stressed countries in the world. 

Freshwater availability in LLDCs’ drylands is projected to decrease from 1,300 cubic meters per person per year to below the lowest threshold of 2,000 cubic meters required for human well-being and sustainable development. 

Water is an important element for all aspects of social, economic and environmental development. 

Agriculture, the mainstay for most LLDCs, is central to the challenge of addressing water shortages and scarcity. 

According to FAO, irrigated agriculture accounts for approximately 72 percent of global water withdrawals. 

There is an urgent need to ensure efficient water distribution systems in LLDCs and to transform agrifood systems to safeguard natural resources, especially water. 

FAO is the custodian agency for SDG indicators 6.4.1 that measures water use efficiency and 6.4.2 that measures the level of water stress. The average water use efficiency of LLDCs in 2020 was very low - 3.4 USD/m3 - compared to 18.9 USD/m3 worldwide. The level of water stress in LLDCs is 16 % but this masks large country variations in countries such as Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan that have critical levels of water stress (above 100%).  

The global monitoring and reporting of SDGs 6.4.1 and 6.4.2 in LLDCs remains a challenge. 

Efforts should be made to support these countries to collect, analyze and disseminate data, including through innovative alternative ways such as satellite remote sensing. 

Thank you for your attention.