On 22 March, World Water Day, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to strive for universal access to water that is crucial for global sustainable development while environmental NGOs highlighted the importance of protecting tap water and aquatic ecosystems in Europe against pollution from pesticides.
“As the European Union, we reiterate our commitment, through Agenda 2030, to achieve access and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, in particular to the most vulnerable groups”, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in a press release. She stressed the importance of winning this challenge on which the world has so far fallen short.
“Safe drinking water and sanitation are crucial for a healthy and dignified life. Yet, 663 million people, 1 out of 10 people in the world, still lack access to safe water and are deprived of a basic human right. The world has also fallen short of the sanitation target, leaving still 2.4 billion people, 1 out of 3 people, without access to adequate sanitation facilities. The persistence of water scarcity and water stress, given climate change and demographic developments, are likely to affect more and more people in the future”, Mogherini went on to say.
She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement and the Marrakesh action proclamation for our climate and sustainable development “which reaffirmed the world’s determination to fight climate change and to help address the impacts of climate change, including on water” (see EUROPE 11671).
On 22 March, the NGO PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe) highlighted that “pesticides are one of the main sources of pollution of European waters, causing degradation of our aquatic ecosystems and jeopardising the future of EU water supplies”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)