On 13 July 2022, in New York, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda – Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on Water and Climate and Mr. Henk Ovink – Special Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for International Water Affairs participated in the meeting with representatives of the global business community, organized at the initiative of the UN Global Compact.
The meeting discussed the priorities of the global business community, the existing water problems in the private sector, their visions regarding the future global water agenda, as well as expectations from the UN 2023 Water Conference, which will be held next March in New York under the co-chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It was noted that governments and civil society face significant challenges in effectively advancing the goals of integrated and sustainable water resources management, mainly due to a lack of funds, especially in developing countries. Representatives of the private sector noted that solving global water challenges is not a solitary endeavor and agreed that there is a need for undertaking coordinated, collective action that leverages the technical strengths, resources, and convening power of the public and private sectors, as well as civil society, academics, communities and others, to achieve more sustainable water management.
Representatives of the business community expressed their hope that the UN 2023 Water Conference will be a watershed moment and will be able to mobilize the public and private sectors, as well as all other stakeholders for the sustainable management of water resources.