As a premise for human survival and dignity, water - a multifunctional and exhaustible resource - is ‘a vital resource for global security’, the EU Council said on Monday 19 November in Brussels, emphasising the EU's determination to strengthen its water diplomacy as an instrument for peace, security and stability.
In its conclusions, the Council stresses that ‘water is vital for human nutrition and health, and essential for ecosystem management, agriculture, energy and planetary security’.
Ensuring sustainable access to safe water and sanitation, achieving sustainable water management, and preventing scarcity and reducing flooding events are key global challenges of the 21st century, according to the Council.
Therefore, European water diplomacy, based on cooperation with partner countries, will aim to facilitate conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution, contribute to the equitable, sustainable and integrated management of water resources from source to sea, and promote resilience to the impacts of climate change on water. ‘Cooperation on water must be harnessed to promote regional integration’.
It states that ‘the EU firmly condemns the use of water as a weapon of war’ and states that ‘destroying water infrastructures, polluting water or diverting watercourses in order to limit or prevent access to water could constitute violations of international law’. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)