At the 10th World Water Forum, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will launch the initiative “National Water Roadmaps towards the 2030 Agenda” at a High-Level Special Session on 20 May.

FAO highlights the critical role of water in agriculture and its impact on global food security and sustainable development. Water resources are fundamental to agriculture, which accounts for a significant 72% of global freshwater withdrawals.

Achieving food security and ending hunger requires access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Agriculture heavily depends on good quality water, making water management a key factor in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

Governments and other stakeholders have acknowledged the interlinkages between water, sanitation, health, ecosystems, and food systems, stressing the need for coordinated efforts to address water-related challenges. Increasing losses from water-related disasters such as droughts, floods, and salinity intrusion, pose a significant threat, especially to vulnerable populations.

Despite growing awareness of the importance of water in achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more integrated actions are needed. Governments must prioritize water in national sustainable development strategies, policies and investment plans to ensure effective management.

Under the theme "Integrated Water Resources Management for the Four Betters," FAO is intensifying its efforts to raise awareness of the importance of water in achieving SDGs and to cascade down all global commitments on water into national strategies, through country-led water dialogues and country-owned National Water Roadmaps.

The initiative "National Water Roadmap towards 2030 SDGs", proposed by FAO and endorsed in the Dushanbe Declaration, has been included as one of FAO's eight commitments to the Global Water Action Agenda at the UN 2023 Water Conference. Through this initiative, FAO supports Member countries, upon request, in developing country-owned national water roadmaps through cross-sectoral water dialogues. This will help strengthen the inter-sectoral coordination on sustainable water resources management to achieve all SDGs in a holistic and coordinated approach, following the example of the National Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems, submitted by 116 countries throughout the UN Food Systems Summit 2021.

The High-Level Special Session, to be held on 20 May at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia, will launch the initiative of National Water Roadmaps.

The event will highlight the central role of integrated water resources management in transforming agrifood systems and achieving all SDGs. It will showcase how National Water Roadmaps can accelerate SDGs implementation and recommend actions to enhance policy dialogue and the enabling environment for integrated water resources management. FAO's initiative on the National Water Roadmaps underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to enhance sustainable water resources management and achieve all SDGs by 2030.

AGENDA, High-Level Special Session “National Water Roadmaps towards the 2030 Agenda”, 20 May 2024, 14:50-16:20 (UTC+8)

14.50-15.05 Opening remarks  

FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu (recorded video message) 

Official Launch of National Water Roadmaps Initiative 

Lifeng LI, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO  

15.05-16.00 Panel 1: Ministerial Dialogue on “countries’ needs and perspectives” 

Panelists: Ministerial level representatives of participating countries to the National Water Roadmaps initiative: 

• The Honourable Claudine Uwera, Minister of State for Environment of Rwanda  
• The Honourable Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Minister for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of Zimbabwe  
• H.E. Habtamu Itefa, Minister for Water and Energy of Ethiopia  
• H.E. Abida Sidik Mia, Minister for Water and Sanitation of Malawi  
• The Honourable Musa S. Drammeh, Minister for Fisheries and Water Resources and National Assembly Matters of Gambia   
• The Honourable Zachariah M.Njeru, EGH, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation of Kenya  
• Mr Riad Akhundzade, Head of Amelioration, Operation of Collector-Drainage Networks and Cadastre Sector, Azerbaijan State Agency of Water Resources of Azerbaijan 

Panel 2: Multistakeholder Dialogue on “policy cooperation for integrated water resources management” 

Panelists: Representatives from other supporting countries and stakeholders 

• H.E. LI Guoying, Minister for Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China (tbc)
• H.E. Nizar Baraka, Minister for Equipment and Water of Morocco
• H.E. Waldez Góes, Minister for Integration and Regional Development of Brazil
• Ms Fink-Hooijer, Director General for Environment of the European Union
• Mr Yuanyuan Li, Deputy Director, General Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design, Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China; President, International Water Resource Association
• Representative of farmer cooperation (tbc)
• Ms Sophie Erfurth, Water Youth Network  

16.00-16.15 Q&A Session

16.15-16.20 Closing 

Lifeng Li, FAO 

FAO's full calendar at the 10th World Water Forum is avaialbe here.

More information on the World Water Forum is available here.