5th World Water Forum
5th World Water Forum
Istanbul, 16-22 March 2009
Statement of the Director-General of FAO, Dr. Jacques Diouf
Ministerial Conference Opening Ceremony
Friday, 20 March 2009
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to be with you today and address this great gathering.
The theme of this Fifth World Water Forum is "Bridging Divides for Water", which implies the bridging of gaps in water management, technology and investment with shared knowledge and experience and calls for global and unified actions.
Since 2007, the world has been severely hit by a rapid succession of three major crises - food crisis, energy crisis and financial crisis, the effects of which have been very severe particularly for the most vulnerable groups of people. Faced with these major global challenges, we must stand united and act in a coherent and collaborative manner.
Food is the basic of all human rights. But unfortunately world food insecurity has reached unacceptable levels. In 2007 and 2008, mainly because of high food prices, an estimated 115 million people were pushed into chronic hunger, bringing the total number of malnourished people in the world to 963 million. This means that today, nearly one billion human beings, or 15 percent of world population, are victims of hunger and malnutrition. With the financial and economic crisis, this situation could get worse unless bold decisions are made and concrete and urgent actions are undertaken.
The world is facing rapid and unprecedented global changes, including population growth, migration, urbanization, climate change, desertification, drought, land degradation and major shifts in dietary preferences. Agriculture's role today is therefore two fold. It has to close the gap between supply and demand, both in the short and in the long run, and also has to prevent future shocks, increase resilience of the most vulnerable and mitigate environmental impacts.
Naturally, agriculture cannot do this in isolation. A new agriculture deal is necessary that integrates the fundamental role of this sector in overall human development and strengthens the global governance of world food security.
Today, agriculture is the dominant water user, with almost 70 percent of total water consumption at the global level. But this is very understandable as food is water. We only need 2 to 3 litres to satisfy our daily requirements for drinking water, but we need 3,000 litres to produce the equivalent of our daily requirements for food. Agriculture has a prime responsibility in meeting current and future demand for food but also managing the environmental impacts of production.
The future of water therefore lies in large parts in an agriculture that is more responsive and more productive through investments in improved rainfed agriculture, development and modernization of irrigation systems and enhancement of the capacity of management and user institutions. The future of water is in a more efficient agriculture. The millions of farmers around the world who provide us with the food we eat must be at the centre of any process of change. They need to be encouraged and guided to produce more with less water. This requires well targeted investment, incentives, and the right policy environment.
Energy is also a major player of the water sector: hydropower and biofuels are on top of national and regional agendas. Agriculture is also crucial in this respect, as food is energy. FAO has made important contributions in 2008 towards the recognition of the importance of water for agriculture and energy, and in finding sustainable solutions to those very important and inter-related issues. It is only by investing in productive sustainable agriculture based on good water management that we will meet our food and energy needs, while at the same time safeguarding the natural resources on which our future depends.
Bridging the divides is the central message of the World Water Forum this year, and I believe that a significant step has been made in that direction, through improved synergies among the sectors and overcoming disputes arising from competition. Tackling for the first time the multi-facets of water use and bringing all concerned stakeholders together at this Forum are clear signals of that new spirit.
Our common challenge is to satisfy all water needs for a growing population. We believe this can be done with the water at hands, but with the right level of investment.
Excellency,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Times of crises are also times of opportunities. I hope that this Forum can send a call to the international community to ensure the urgent investments needed in water infrastructure in developing countries and to have a better management of water resources that can address fundamental human needs but also provide productive livelihoods for generations to come.
I thank you for your kind attention.