A historic water conference has opened at the UN headquarters in New York.
The event is co-chaired by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
The three-day event is a unique opportunity to ensure that all people have access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.
“This conference must represent a quantum leap in the capacity of Member States and the international community to recognize and act upon the vital importance of water to our world’s sustainability and as a tool to foster peace and international co-operation,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
He underscored that water is a human right and critical to development that will shape a better global future.
“But water is in deep trouble”, he warned. “We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating. We’ve broken the water cycle, destroyed ecosystems and contaminated groundwater.”