The availability of water, across households and industries, is the basis for peace, security and economic development. It is the source of all life, connects communities, transcends borders and is central to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals from health to education and from gender equality to climate adaptation.
Since the Millennium Development Goals were introduced in 2000, millions of people have gained access to safe water. But this progress has stalled in recent years, with the climate crisis exacerbating water scarcity and extreme weather events jeopardizing water quality.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by water scarcity. Traditional roles often assign them the tasks of water management. In rural areas across the globe, women spend an estimated 40 billion hours a year fetching water, as much as the entire working time spent in France. The lack of basic infrastructure in their households or close vicinity deprives them of educational and professional opportunities — and can expose them to violence.
Water is not only essential for life, but it is also a driving force for — and foundational to — economic growth. The provision of water supply, sanitation and wastewater services (WASH) generates substantial benefits for public health, the economy and the environment.
Evidence underscoring the significant economic return on investments in climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure is clear. According to the UN, every euro invested in water and sanitation projects generates four times the economic benefit, mainly in the form of reduced healthcare costs. OECD analysis indicates even stronger numbers, demonstrating that benefit-to-cost ratios can be as high as 7 to 1 for basic water and sanitation services in developing countries.
The majority — about three-quarters — of the total benefits are due to saved time, as people no longer need to travel long distances or wait in lines to access water. In terms of health benefits, enhancing water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent nearly one in ten cases of illness worldwide.
The EU’s leadership on the global water agenda has been most welcome, to support improved governance on addressing mutual water challenges. The development of its first European Water Resilience Strategy comes at a crucial time, providing continuity between the UN Water Conferences, and when support toward SDG6 has been, in recent years, lagging.
Support and investments in WASH services should be prioritized in the international dimension of its strategy, for it to effectively address global water stress from a social and economic perspective. To achieve this, WaterAid encourages the European Commission to:
- Align the objectives of the strategy with the EU’s 2028-2034 Multi-Annual Financial Framework, ensuring financing for the strategy’s delivery and its UN Water 2023 commitments.
- Through Team Europe Initiatives, increase cooperation among EU member states’ water resilience programs for complementarity, with a focus on climate-resilient water and sanitation services and infrastructure.
- Increase the share of the EU’s climate adaptation financing to climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure, in particular to the partner countries most vulnerable to fluctuating weather trends.
- Expand the Global Gateway areas of partnerships to include water resilience, by encouraging blended finance models that combine private and public funding while maintaining government leadership.
By prioritizing WASH investments in its global water resilience strategy, the EU can lead the charge in tackling water insecurity worldwide. As Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy, declared a few days ago from Poland: “Investing in water resilience is an investment in our future, and in the continued prosperity and security of Europe and beyond.”
The post Strengthening the EU’s global leadership on water resilience appeared first on Politico.
