BuaNews (Tshwane)
25 January 2008
Davos — A shortage of water resources could spell increased conflicts in the future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday.
Mr Ban said the United Nations will therefore take action to address the problem in the context of reaching global anti-poverty targets.
"Our experiences tell us that environmental stress, due to lack of water, may lead to conflict, and would be greater in poor nations," Mr Ban told leaders from governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations and academia attending the annual meeting.
"Population growth will make the problem worse. So will climate change. As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts lie just over the horizon," he warned.
The Secretary-General cited a recent report by International Alert identifying 46 countries, home to 2.7 billion people, where climate change and water-related crises create a high risk of violent conflict.
A further 56 countries, representing another 1.2 billion people, are at high risk of political instability, according to the study.
"This is not an issue of rich or poor, north or south," he said, using the examples of water problems in China, the United States, Spain, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea.
"All regions are experiencing the problem."
The Secretary-General emphasised that water resources must be protected. "There is still enough water for all of us - but only so long as we keep it clean, use it more wisely, and share it fairly," he said.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which call for halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015, are key to this effort, he said.
Mr Ban announced that he would gather world leaders at the UN this September "for a critical high-level meeting on the MDGs, focusing in particular on Africa."
While emphasising governments must engage and lead, he said the private sector also has a role to play in this effort.
The United Nations Global Compact held last July launched its "CEO Water Mandate" to galvanise businesses in this effort.
The UN Global Compact is an initiative aimed at making globalisation more equitable by promoting human rights, labour and environmental standards.
"Only about 20 companies have joined the CEO Water Mandate. A drop in the bucket, perhaps, but I like to think it is a small wave that will gather force and spread across the globe," said Mr Ban.
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