UN, World Bank launch new panel on clean water and sanitation

The United Nations and the World Bank Group have announced a new panel to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation.

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the UN and Dr Jim Yong Kim, the President of the World Bank, announced the initiative this week to support SDG6.

The SDGs were agreed by world leaders and UN leadership in September at New York Climate Week and follow on from the earlier Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Ban said: “Water is a precious resource, crucial to realizing the SDGs, which at their heart aim to eradicate poverty… The new Panel can help motivate the action we need to turn ideas into reality.”

The UN chief continued: “The United Nations system, including through UN Water and the United Nations development system’s universal operational presence, is committed to promote inclusive and country-led action on SDG6 and related targets.”

The panel will be co-chaired by the Presidents of Mauritius and Mexico and will include a group of heads of State from developed and developing countries.

The panel is designed to:

Motivate Action – Focus public policy dialogue, private sector models and practices and civil society initiatives towards the Water SDG

Advocate on financing and implementation – Promote efforts to mobilise financial resources and scale-up investment for the Water SDG, including through innovative financing and implementation strategies.

Dr Kim said: “Achieving the water global goal would have multiple benefits, including laying the foundations for food and energy security, sustainable urbanization, and ultimately climate security… My hope is that this panel accelerates action in many countries so that we can make water more accessible to all.”

The UN and World Bank will enable access to a range of technical organisations to support the panel, including the OECD, Stockholm International Water Institute, World Economic Forum, World Water Council, and World Resources Institute.