As part of the opening of the International Conference of the 4th Summit of the Mekong River Commission, which was held on 2 April 2023 in Vientiane, Laos, the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda, made a presentation on the outcome of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
In his presentation, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda noted the important role of the conference in further promoting water issues on the global agenda. He emphasized that the conference came at the right time, as water resources are under high pressure from various challenges, and therefore the water agenda requires bold commitment and scaling up action at the local and global levels.
Mr. Rahimzoda presented to the attention of the participants the main outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, noting the cooperation of the Republic of Tajikistan with the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the framework of its preparation, which is a unique example of how water can unite different countries with different geographical, economic and cultural characteristics.
Considering the theme of the Mekong conference, a special focus in the presentation was placed on the role of the UN Conference on the Development of Transboundary Water Cooperation. In this context, it was noted that one of the five themes of the interactive dialogues of the UN Conference was devoted to Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross-Sectoral Cooperation, which was held under the co-chairs of Senegal and Switzerland.
Sulton Rahimzoda presented 4 main recommendations of the dialogue co-chairs, which point to the need to strengthen cooperation at the transboundary level as a key prerequisite for solving water problems, strengthening organizations of river basins, lakes, and aquifers and supporting their mandate for integrated comprehensive sustainable water resources management, promoting exchange information, experience, and best practices, with a greater focus on transboundary aquifers.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Rahimzoda noted that the UN 2023 Water Conference really became a watershed moment for solving water issues and stressed the importance of further steps to strengthen and multiply the achieved result, including through the existing platforms and mechanisms, including the Dushanbe water process.
In this context, he quoted the words of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan H.E. Emomali Rahmon on the need for a new vision that will reflect the prospects for the development of water resources for the period after 2030, which, in turn, will help to strengthen the role of freshwater in the next global agenda.
