Caribbean launch of UN Water Report flags subregional priorities

Globally, 2 billion people (26% of the population) do not have safe drinking water and 4.6 billion (46%) lack access to safely managed sanitation, according to the UN World Water Development Report 2023, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water and launched in the Caribbean region 22 March, 2023, at a press briefing by the United Nations Information Centre for the Caribbean Area.

Editor-in-Chief of the of the flagship Report, Richard Connor, participated virtually from UN Headquarters in New York where the World Water Conference was concurrently in session from 22 to 24 March. The findings of the Report, said Connor, pointed to the need for stronger partnerships and more productive collaborations to improve access to water and sanitation by populations across the globe. This included the need for closer cooperation between the "climate community" and the "water community".

"The main way that climate change will impact on humans and societies is through water. So a lot of adaptation measures to climate change are water-related."

Connor called for the two communities to join forces on mitigation measures that can enhance water management while reducing greenhouse gases at the same time.

View the full presentation below:

The global report findings were given Caribbean context by Artie Dubrie, Coordinator of the Sustainable Development and Disaster Unit at the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean.  

Water and water resources management are the main water-related concerns affecting Caribbean countries, said Dubrie.

She said that during the "Regional Water Dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean" series hosted by ECLAC, in the lead up to the World Water Conference, Member States of this region agreed that improving water resources management in the Caribbean required priority attention to the following areas: providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation; ensuring equitable and affordable access; reversing the growing negative externalities; and moving to circular management of water.

These Latin American and Caribbean priorities were channeled by ECLAC to the UN Water Development Report 2023.

Dubrie’s full presentation is here:

Following his presentation, Connor was asked to comment on the report's significance for the Caribbean region. He explained that small island developing States (SIDS) have unique needs based on their topography and expressed concern that a blanket solution for SIDS in the region may not be effective.

Watch this exchange here:

To read the UN Water Development Report 2023 or its Executive Summary, please click here.