1 July 2008
Sharm el Sheikh — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Monday urged the African Union (AU) to reaffirm its commitment to place drinking water, sanitation and water resources in general at the centre of the continental agenda.
He was speaking in the debates at the 11th AU heads of state summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el sheikh, on the theme of "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Water and Sanitation".
"The debate in this session is of great importance since it allows us to exchange experiences and to reach consensus on water management mechanisms", said Guebuza. "It also strengthens our collective will to find formulas which favour more equitable and sustainable exploitation of this resource".
Water, he stressed, plays a central role in the survival of the human species, in the preservation of biodiversity and in economic and social development. From this flowed the imperative of perfecting the mechanisms to guarantee the availability of good quality water in sufficient amounts for all the various needs of human societies.
Guebuza said that the Mozambican government is committed to ensuring that 55 per cent of the population has access to clean drinking water by 2009, and that this indicator reaches 70 per cent by 2015, the cut-off date for the MDGs. As for decent sanitation, the targets are that this should be within reach of 37 per cent of the Mozambican population by 2009m, and 60 per cent by 2015.
"The fact that indications show we will reach the millennium goals at the current pace does not satisfy us", stressed Guebuza. "We are aware that many of our fellow countrymen will still be walking long distances in search of drinking water, and will be competing with wild animals for this precious liquid".
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