UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 8 May 2008 -- A letter has been released by the office of the UN Global Compact that calls on leaders of the G-8 countries to actively address the issue of water during their upcoming Summit scheduled for early July in Japan.

Signed by the chief executive officers of 20 corporations who are all endorsers of the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, the letter embraces the topic of this year’s summit – Environment and Climate Change. 

These CEOs also welcome the Summit’s intended commitment to review those initiatives that address important environmental issues and to focus discussions on the status of the UN-declared Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to the letter, it is critical that water and sanitation continue to be a part of any agenda focused on development.  

The continued lack of access to clean water and sanitation not only cause great suffering from a humanitarian, social, environmental, and economic perspective, but limited or no access to sustainable and acceptable levels of water and sanitation services can severely undermine long-term development goals in a given country or region.

The authors of the letter recognize the close association between water access and poverty. 

Approximately one-third of the world’s population that survives without access to potable water also lives on less than US$1 a day.  

In a 2006 report published by the United Nations Development Programme, it was noted that the cost to the sub Saharan African economies for not providing basic universal access to water and sanitation was equivalent to approximately 5% of GDP.

While corporate members of the CEO Water Mandate are committed to pursuing action in a number of areas including the improvement of supply chain and watershed management, community engagement about water issues, and public policy initiatives, it has been recognized that the corporations will not be able to achieve meaningful progress unless governments around the world also live up to their own responsibilities and commitments.

The letter calls on the G-8 countries to make the evolving global water crisis a priority. 

Specifically, signers of the letter ask that discussions at the upcoming Summit include the following: 

1.)    A re-affirmation of the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) related to water within the G-8 Summit preparatory documents and in the final communiqué 

2.)    A commitment to focus on the emerging global water crisis as a formal part of the Summit agenda

3.)    An endorsement to fulfill the Gleneagles commitment on water and sanitation by ensuring that allocations for safe drinking water and sanitation continue to increase as a defined percentage of all official development assistance (ODA)

4.)    A mandate to increase respective government efforts for achieving the water MDG by making it a top priority within government development agencies

5.)    A commitment to increase overall ODA budgets

6.)    A commitment to stimulate research focused on water efficiency and water use within the agricultural and food production sectors

7.)    An agreement to work more actively with the international business community, civil society organizations, and other non-state participants in order to achieve more effective programs that focus on the growing global water challenge.

Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews WATER, water, sanitation, water and sanitation, CEO Water Mandate, UN Global Compact, Millennium Development Goal, MDG, G8 Summit, business, private sector, drinking water, water supply, Kathy Shandling, international development, environment, water news, water sustainability, water resource, water management, global water crisis, sustainable development

 

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