UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 21 March 2008 -- Asia and Africa stand at the crossroads of water and sanitation woes, which cause dire challenges to their social, cultural and economic well-being:

• in Asia and the Pacific, close to 700 million lack safe drinking water supply (63% of the world’s unserved population) and 1.9 billion are without basic sanitation (74% of the world’s population); 

• in Africa, over 300 million lack safe drinking water supply (38% of the total population in Africa) and close to 500 million are without basic sanitation (56% of Africa’s total population)[1].

Water and sanitation are fundamental issues at the heart of human security and for the social and economic development of nations. 

Water and sanitation are critical to eradicating poverty and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

On this World Water Day 2008, Japan is preparing to host both the 2008 G8 Summit and the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), with Japan intending to bring water issues to the table.  

“From the perspective of "human security," I intend to focus on health, water, and education at the G8 Summit .” – Special Address by Prime Minister Fukuda on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos (January 26, 2008)

“ Japan , as a hosting country of TICAD IV and the chair the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, will play a leading role in the international community's discussions concerning water and sanitation.” - Speech by Foreign Minister Koumura at Water and Sanitation Symposium "The International Year of Sanitation – A Platform for Action in Africa and Asia “ (22 February 2008)

As Africa and Asia seek to deepen their common ties and influence each other’s development, trade and investment agendas, the stage is set for attracting the world’s attention to the water and sanitation needs of the millions perishing from lack of safe water and basic sanitation, from water-related disasters and from imperiled ecosystem services, on these two continents.

At the recently held 1^st Asia-Pacific Water Summit (organized by the Asia-Pacific Water Forum in Beppu, Japan, 3-4^th December 2007), the first-ever summit dedicated exclusively to water and sanitation issues, participants provided a roadmap of actions to motivate and guide assertive political action throughout the region. 

In its Message from Beppu, the participants of the 1^st Asia-Pacific Water Summit – including heads of government and cabinet ministers –   exhorted the region’s leaders to:

• Reduce by half the number of people who do not have access to safe drinking water by 2015 and aim to reduce that number to zero by 2025.

• Reduce by half number of people who do not have access to basic sanitation in our region by 2015 and aim to reduce that number to zero by 2025, through the adoption of new and innovative sanitation systems that are not as water reliant as current methods.

• Accord the highest priority to water and sanitation in our economic and development plans and agendas and to increase substantially our allocation of resources to the water and sanitation sectors.

• Improve governance, efficiency, transparency and equity in all aspects related to the management of water, particularly as it impacts on poor communities.

• We recognise that while women are particularly vulnerable, they are also resilient and entrepreneurial, hence, should be empowered in all water-related activities.

• Take urgent and effective action to prevent and reduce the risks of flood, drought and other water-related disasters and to bring timely relief and assistance to their victims (excerpt, available for download at http://www.apwf.org)

One of the prominent characteristics of the Message from Beppu is that it sets targets beyond those of the MDGs.

The Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) is working to increase the region’s access to improved water supplies and sanitation, protect and restore river basins, and reduce people’s vulnerability to water disasters. 

As follow-up to the 1^st Asia-Pacific Water Summit, the APWF will monitor the progress of the concrete initiatives committed in the roadmap towards the 2^nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit.  

Activities this year are focused on sanitation issues in support of the International Year of Sanitation. 

Also, with TICAD IV and G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to take place in Japan in 2008, we are paying special attention to African water issues, where “on average, members of the household (commonly a woman or a child) takes almost half an hour to walk to the water sources, fetch water and return” according to WHO and UNICEF.

Can Asia bring its own experience in the water and sanitation realm shared during the 1^st Asia-Pacific Water Summit to bear on Africa ’s water story? Can Asia learn from Africa ’s water lessons and its initiatives?

Strong from its own inter-regional cooperation exercise, the Japan Water Forum, as the Asia-Pacific Water Forum secretariat, will be seeking opportunities to establish a framework for inter-regional cooperation between Africa and Asia, with the objective of exchanging experiences, knowledge and know-how for effective water resources management between the two continents. 

For press queries, please contact:  

* Japan Water Forum 

Attn:  Taeko Yokota　　TEL：03-5212-1645 　FAX：03-5212-1649

e-mail press@waterforum.jp   URL http://www.apwf.org

The speeches quoted above can be downloaded at:

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/wef/2008/address-s.html - Special Address by Prime Minister Fukuda on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos (January 26, 2008)

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/environment/speech0802.html - Speech by Foreign Minister Koumura at Water and Sanitation Symposium "The International Year of Sanitation – A Platform for Action in Africa and Asia “ (22 February 2008)

Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews WATER, water, sanitation, water and sanitation, Japan Water Forum, Asia-Pacific Water Forum, Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Fukuda, Foreign Minister Koumura, Asia, Africa, drinking water, Millennium Development Goal, MDG, human security, G8, TICAD IV, water policy, International Year of Sanitation

 

Advertisement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MaximsNews® LLC   NEWS NETWORK FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network that is read worldwide, in 195 countries and territories. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries. 

Established in 1999, MaximsNews now publishes in the six UN working languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.  

SEE:  About MaximsNews

The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews® LLC.

REACH THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE  

SEE: Advertise with MaximsNews | MaximsNews MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS      

MaximsNews.com U.N. ® LLC  www.MaximsNews.com | MaximsNews@MaximsNews.com | Please contact us about Republishing: Syndication@MaximsNews.com ©Copyrights 1999 - 2008, MaximsNews® LLC. All rights reserved.