Water for Prosperity: Valuing water, water-energy-food nexus, advancing integrated and sustainable water resource management, wastewater and water-use efficiency across sectors, and economic and social development
Co-chairs : China and Spain
Interactive Dialogue B calls for integrating water into national planning as a foundation for economic stability, social wellbeing and the 2030 Agenda. Often treated as an infinite and free resource, water remains chronically undervalued, despite an estimated USD 58 trillion in economic value generated by freshwater ecosystems. Water-dependent sectors already support an estimated 1.7 billion jobs worldwide, yet a siloed, sectorial approach to water management continues to produce missed opportunities and chronic underinvestment. This is compounded by increased water insecurity. For instance, 70% of major aquifers already show long-term depletion. SDG indicator 6.4.1 shows global water-use efficiency improving by 23% between 2015 and 2022, yet considerable potential remains untapped across all sectors. Accelerating this efficiency transition across agriculture, energy and industry is essential to reducing water insecurity, strengthening the water-energy-food nexus, and advancing SDG 6.
