UN: Water holds key to sustainable development
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 9, 2013
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers a lecture at Budapesti Corvinus University. [UN Photo] |
"Some 2.5 billion people lack the dignity and health offered by access to a safe, decent toilet and protection from untreated waste," he continued. "One billion people practice open defecation. Diarrhoea is the second biggest killer of children under five in the world after pneumonia…
"It is plain that investment in sanitation is a down-payment on a sustainable future," said Mr. Ban. "Economists estimate that every dollar spent can bring a five-fold return."
The Secretary-General said water and sanitation are obviously central to efforts to achieve the MDGs and must figure prominently in the post-2015 development agenda. "Beyond 2015, our aim is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and to create an equitable world of opportunity for all.
"Our societies cannot prosper without clean, plentiful freshwater. People cannot thrive without adequate sanitation."
Speaking at a joint press encounter with Hungarian President János Áder, Mr. Ban said he was impressed by the turnout of many leaders from all around the world for the summit. "More and more countries recognize that water should be a source of common cause – not of conflict or not of concern," he noted.
He also highlighted Hungary's important international role in this effort, noting that it is a leader in the UN Group of Friends of Water, which is promoting wider understanding and cooperation on water issues.
"I also count on Hungary's leadership on other long-term challenges. Poverty, environmental degradation and climate change will all define humanity's fate in the future. That is why our campaign for sustainable development is so important."
In addition to a working lunch with Mr. Áder, the Secretary-General also met separately with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Chairman of the UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation; and Lamberto Zannier, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Mr. Ban also delivered a lecture at Budapesti Corvinus University, where he received an honorary doctorate on behalf of the UN. He told students and faculty that they must do two things.
"First, spare no effort to reach the MDGs by the 2015 deadline. Second, define a new set of goals for the new set of challenges facing our world," he said. "Now more than ever, sustainable development – integrating economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability – must be our global guiding principle."
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