Global water resources - their sustainable use and fair distribution

The sustainable management and fair distribution of the world's available drinking water resources and the improvement of basic sanitation especially in developing countries was the focus of the German opening conference for the International Year of Freshwater, which took place on 6 March in Berlin. Participants in the panel discussion on the topic "International Water Policy after Johannesburg -what is the next step for transboundary water bodies?" included Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin, Federal Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and the North Rhine Westphalian environment minister Bärbel Höhn. Numerous experts from politics, the scientific community and environmental associations also attended the event.

"2.4 billion people currently have no access to clean drinking water or to sanitation facilities", said federal environment minister Jürgen Trittin. "This means that more than one in three people is exposed to health hazards and cut off from economic and social development. At the same time, water shortages hold a considerable potential for conflict between peoples. The joint management of transboundary water body and water resources can couteract this. This is not only practical environmental and development policy, it also promotes peace. Germany and its neighbours have set a good example in this field: the joint River Commissions of the Rhine, Elbe, Danube and the Oder have played an important part in improving water quality."

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul commented "cooperation in transboundary water bodies can be a starting point for peace if people understand the benefits they have from cooperation. For this reason we have made establishing river basin commissions a focal point of the G8 Africa Action Plan. On the Nile, the Limpopo and the Orange Senqu we are already promoting transboundary cooperation along the watercourse. In this way we can once again prove that development policy as pursued by the German Government is an active and sustainable policy for peace."

Wieczorek-Zeul pointed out that in the Coalition Agreement proposes that an annual sum of around € 350 million be made available for development cooperation for water supply. She emphasised that this Coalition Agreement follows on from the previous legislative period. Thus the German Government has advocated a solution to the drinking water problems for many years, and for the development of an appropriate infrastructure for water supply and management, especially in developing countries. The Minister said that important preparatory work had been achieved at the Bonn Freshwater Conference in December 2001. This played an important part in the successful adoption of the Action Plan in the field of water at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg last year.

She went on to say that it should be noted that financing needs in the water sector are far higher than currently made available from public funds. Around 180 billion US dollars would have to be invested in the water sector in order to halve the number of those with no access to clean drinking water by the year 2015. At present, such investments total 70-80 billion US dollars. In order to close the gap, said the minister, it is necessary to involve the private sector. There must be guarantees here that the poor would be able to cover their water costs at reasonable prices. "The German Government therefore supports the developing countries in implementing the necessary regulations and establishing institutions." Only this can ensure that involving the private sector is of benefit to the poor.

Bärbel Höhn observed that in the countries of the South clean drinking water is often lacking, and that this hinders the development of these countries and often even leads to crisis situations. "We have increasing problems with floods which cause massive damage. Both trends are exacerbated by climate warming. A unified global economy requires the solution of both these problems."

The Decision of the United Nations to declare 2003 the International Year of Freshwater will substantially assist in solving the international water problems. In the framework of this international year, a number of initiatives and actions will take place in Germany at local, regional and national level. These will include an "International Round Table" in the autumn dealing with transboundary water body management. The federal Government will also participate in the third World Water Forum from 16-23 March this year in Kyoto, where the results of the recently published first UNESCO World Water Report will be debated. This report was presented during the panel discussion at the Berlin event.

Go to www.bmz.de  for further information on the topic of water and the International Year of Freshwater. Information on the UNESCO water report can be obtained at www.unesco.org/water .