ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has announced to hold an international conference on water in its capital Dushanbe next month where world leaders will participate in brainstorming on the question of water and its consumption. Tajikistan Ambassador Sherali Jononov Said Amirovoch told media here on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been invited to attend the conference as an honoured guest. The high level international conference on the implementation of the international decade for action “Water for Life,” set by the United Nations through a unanimous resolution in December 2003, and it was moved by Tajikistan. The conference will commence on June 9 and culminate on 11th of the same month. It is expected that the conference participants will elaborate recommendations and proposals aimed at further strengthening the measures taken at the national, regional and international levels to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals, including the sustainable development goals based on the comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, the envoy said. It would be culmination of the decade and the conference will promote the awareness of the international community on the water sector trends and mobilising efforts of the governments, UN institutions, international and non-governmental organisations, as well as other parties at all levels involved in the water problems solution. The ambassador said that the outcomes of the conference will be submitted at the 70th session of the UNGA in 2015. The ambassador said that the UNGA adopted the resolution in 2003 initiated by his country declared 2005–2015 as the “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”. The main goal of the decade was to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by the year 2015. These commitments also included the development goals contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly, to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, Ambassador Sherali said. He pointed out that another important goal of the decade was to develop by 2015 plans for integrated water resource management and water-use efficiency in rendering assistance to the developing countries. He said that Tajikistan being the initiator of the decade has taken a number of measures at national, regional and global levels for its successful implementation. With this view Tajikistan, in cooperation with the UN and other international organisations, organised number of important international water events: In order to develop a comprehensive programme of the conference with the participation of all categories of water users and decision-makers, there will be established an international steering committee from among the representatives of the partner countries, international and regional institutions, river basin organisations, NGOs, the private sector and other stakeholders, he said. The primary goal of the conference is a comprehensive discussion of the issues of implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will later play a crucial role in conducting comprehensive review of the implementation of the international decade with bringing its results to the notice of the wider international community. The conference also provides an opportunity to discuss the challenges and gaps in the implementation of the international decade and on the basis of recommendations for further actions after 2015, including contribution to the development of the sustainable development goals related to the water resources, will be elaborated. The ambassador said that the conference will include a variety of activities, including plenary and thematic sessions, round tables, parallel and pre-conference events, side events, presentations and other event formats upon request of stakeholders as well as an exhibition and a tour. In preparing the structure of the conference, a variety of approaches will be used, including thematic, regional and multi-stakeholder approach (sessions dedicated to different groups of stakeholders). Prospective topics for discussion at the conference are mainstreaming water and sanitation in national development strategies, Water - Energy – Food – Climate Nexus, Addressing water scarcity and quality, waste water treatment and recycling, promoting sustainable water consumption and use, Water beyond 2015, SDGs on water, tools and mechanisms for achieving SDGs on water, global challenges and water perspective, water cooperation at international, regional, national and local levels for the achievement of the goals on water and sanitation. He said that the representatives of the UN member countries’ governments, UN institutions, international and regional organisations, international financial institutions, business communities, non-governmental organisations, civil society, as well as scientists and experts, are invited to participate in the conference. Invitations to the UN member countries, international and regional organisations and other partners will be sent on behalf of the Government of Tajikistan and the National Organizing Committee.
