The Global Water Crisis: United Nations Programmes and Initiatives for Sustainable Solutions

It is a great honor to be here at this distinguished university, and especially to be in the presence of such bright young minds—the future leaders of our world. Speaking to you today fills me with hope, as it is your generation that will shape the solutions to some of the most pressing challenges we face, including the global water crisis. You are not just the leaders of tomorrow—you are the changemakers of today.

Today, we gather to discuss an issue that touches every corner of our planet: Water. 

Water is life. It is health, sanitation, hygiene, disease prevention. 

It is essential to food security, economic growth, and peace. Without it, there can be no sustainable development. Yet today, the world is facing a growing water crisis that threatens not just development, but peace itself. We know, for example, that a major threat to peaceful relations for countries within the Euphrates-Tigris Basin and around the Nile River is water security.

Our world is in turbulent waters—conflicts are raging, inequality is deepening, pollution and biodiversity loss are rampant. And as we continue to burn fossil fuels, the climate crisis is accelerating, threatening both humanity and our planet. Rising seas, changing rain patterns, and shrinking rivers are leading to devastating droughts in some regions, while others are increasingly hit by floods and coastal erosion. Water resources are being overstressed, polluted, and over-consumed, putting fresh, clean, and accessible water further out of reach for millions of people.

Facts and Figures 

I would like to share with you some striking global facts and figures about water. 

• 2.2 billion people in the world still live without safely managed drinking water, including 115 million people who drink surface water.
• Today, 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas of high or extremely high, water vulnerability.
• Water-related disasters have dominated the list of disasters over the past 50 years and account for 70 per cent of all deaths related to natural disasters.
• 72 per cent of all water withdrawals are used by agriculture, 16 per cent by municipalities for households and services, and 12 per cent by industries.

These figures remind us just how critical water is to every aspect of life—and how urgent it is that we take action to ensure a sustainable and equitable future for all. The need to address the water crisis is not just a global priority, but a shared responsibility that affects each and every one of us.

Water for Peace

The scarcity of water is not just an environmental challenge; it is also a peace and security issue. Dwindling water supplies can heighten competition, fueling tensions and even conflict between communities and countries. 

The theme of this year’s World Water Day commemorated on March 22 was "Water for Peace," and this message could not be more urgent. To achieve peace through water, we need far greater cooperation—across borders, communities, and sectors. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging all countries to join the United Nations Water Convention, which promotes sustainable management of shared water resources. “Through cooperation, we can reduce competition and tensions, build trust, and ensure that water becomes a source of harmony rather than conflict” he said. 

So, what is the Water Convention? 

The UN Water Convention was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and entered into force in 1996.
The Convention is a unique legally binding instrument promoting the sustainable management of shared water resources, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the prevention of conflicts, and the promotion of peace and regional integration. The Water Convention requires Parties to prevent, control and reduce transboundary impact, use transboundary waters in a reasonable and equitable way and ensure their sustainable management. Parties bordering the same transboundary waters have to cooperate by entering into specific agreements and establishing joint bodies. 

The Convention was originally negotiated as a regional framework for the pan-European region. Following an amendment procedure, since March 2016 all UN Member States can accede to it. Türkiye is not party to the Convention. Currently 55 Member States are party to the Convention. 

A new report by UNECE and UNESCO sounds the alarm on the lack of international cooperation to manage shared rivers, lakes and aquifers, calling for urgent collaboration among countries. Slow progress threatens to delay joint strategies needed to address the intensifying impacts of droughts and floods in the context of climate change. 

Today, 153 countries rely on transboundary waters flowing across or into other countries. Yet according to a new report by UNESCO and UNECE, only 28 per cent of these countries have effective agreements to co-manage most of these vital resources. The report also warns that, if current trends persist, barely one-third of these countries will have effective co-management arrangements in place by 2030. 

The growing momentum for cross-border water cooperation shows we are moving in the right direction, but far greater efforts for joint water management will be needed as countries worldwide face the worsening climate crisis. Over 100 transboundary cooperation agreements have been concluded since the entry into force in 1996 of the Water Convention. However, more is necessary.

Water and the Sustainable Development Goals
Water is central to the Sustainable Development Goals which are the foundation of peaceful and prosperous societies. Clean water and sanitation—Goal 6—are essential for health, reducing poverty, tackling inequality, and ensuring food and water security. Without a concerted focus on water, we cannot hope to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

At the United Nations, we are taking bold action to address this crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has recently appointed Retno Marsudi of Indonesia as the Special Envoy on Water. The Special Envoy will champion water and sanitation issues at the highest levels, amplifying the work of the UN system and mobilizing action and financial resources to tackle the global water crisis. Her role will be to galvanize partnerships and ensure that the outcomes of critical conferences, such as the UN 2023 Water Conference and the upcoming UN Water Conferences in 2026 and 2028, are implemented to bring about lasting change.

The Path Forward
We cannot afford to wait. The recent World Water Forum in Bali highlighted the urgent need for stronger policies to conserve, protect, and sustainably use water resources. Ministers from around the world issued a declaration calling for more ambitious actions to protect our water, combat pollution, and improve water access. They proposed creating a Global Water Fund and integrating water, climate, and food security policies, so that we can better manage this vital resource.

Let us remember that water is not just about infrastructure and policies; it is about human rights and gender equality. Women, in particular, bear the brunt of water scarcity, often spending hours each day fetching water, time that could be spent on education, employment, and family care. Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation for all will help lift communities out of poverty, create jobs, and build prosperity.

Pact for the Future

As you know, World leaders on 22 September adopted the Pact for the Future, a landmark declaration pledging concrete actions towards a safer, more peaceful, sustainable and inclusive world for tomorrow’s generations.

The Pact’s five broad focus areas include: sustainable development; international peace and security; science and technology; youth and future generations and transforming global governance.

The issue of Water is also covered in several action points under the Pact. Under Action 6 of the Pact, which says “We will invest in people to end poverty and strengthen trust and social cohesion” Member States agreed to “address and promote the prevention of water scarcity and build resilience to drought to achieve a world in which water is a sustainable resource and ensure the availability and sustainable management of clean and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.”

Moreover, in the Pact, Member States agreed to “address and promote the prevention of water scarcity and build resilience to drought to achieve a world in which water is a sustainable resource and ensure the availability and sustainable management of clean and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.”

A Call to Action
As we look to the future, we must recognize that all our hopes for sustainable development, peace, and prosperity depend on how we manage water. We need a new global water information system, better decision-making, smarter policies, and stronger cooperation. We need to invest in resilient infrastructure, such as pipelines and wastewater treatment facilities, and ensure that every person in the world is protected with early warning systems against natural disasters by 2027. And we need to press for climate justice, working to limit global warming to 1.5°C, because climate change and water security are inextricably linked.

UN’s 79th Anniversary

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the 79th Anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. 

UN stands as both a mirror of the world as it is today and a beacon of what we aspire for it to be.

The UN Charter—signed 79 years ago—still lights the path forward. At its core, the Charter embodies a spirit of resolve: to bridge divides, restore relationships, and foster peace; to create opportunities for all and ensure no one is left behind. To promote justice, equality, and the empowerment of women and girls. To bring life-saving aid to those in crisis. And to adapt to the evolving challenges of our time, from the climate emergency to the complex opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence.