The global water agenda has received unprecedented political momentum, becoming an important element of water resource sustainability, Finland's Minister of Environment and Climate, Kai Mykkänen, said at the event "Celebrating Water's Lifeline for Climate, Nature, and People" within COP29.
According to Report, he said that integrating water issues into the international agenda and ensuring water resource sustainability by 2050 are among the important goals of the European Union.
"The Baku Declaration emphasizes that water is a key element of climate change, and many climate impacts manifest through water cycle disruptions. Also, most natural disasters are water-related. The Water Dialogue Declaration adopted in Baku raises the water issue to a higher level in the global climate agenda. I would like to thank Azerbaijan for preparing this document," noted the minister.
Mykkänen emphasized that the Baku Declaration focuses on the importance of protecting and restoring water basins and ecosystems for effective climate action. "We need to strengthen the collection of scientific data on climate change impacts on water ecosystems and establish links between water resource protection and climate change adaptation," he said.
"As Azerbaijan's COP29 presidency emphasizes, it is necessary to unite the efforts of governments, the UN, academic community, and private sector to work together on water and climate change issues," Mykkänen noted.