Preparatory Meeting of the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028

Background

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 75/212, paragraph 16, this one-day preparatory meeting will be convened by the President of the UN General Assembly (PGA) on 25 October 2022, from 10am – 6pm (EDT) at CR4. The aim is to finalize the themes of the interactive dialogues and other outstanding organizational matters of the UN 2023 Water Conference.

Member States and all relevant stakeholders will be invited to share their views on the themes of the interactive dialogues, as proposed by the co-hosts of the Conference, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Additionally, to ensure the meaningful participation of all relevant stakeholders, the one-day preparatory meeting will be preceded by a stakeholder consultation on 24 October 2022.

Registration is now closed.

For questions on participation, please refer to the logistic note, which could also be accessed under the "Documentation" tab:

States Members of the United Nations and members of the United Nations specialized agencies;
Intergovernmental organizations and other entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the sessions and work of the General Assembly; and relevant intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and international bodies that were accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
Associate members of the regional commissions;
Specialized agencies and related organizations;
Other intergovernmental organizations and other international bodies;
Interested United Nations organs;
Media

Please note: The meeting is for in-person participation only, and it was live streamed on UN WebTV in all six official UN languages.

Click to watch the recording on UN WebTV.

Furthermore, in preparation to the Conference, UN DESA, through its Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) compiled views, comments and inputs from stakeholders on the themes proposed by the co-hosts for the interactive dialogues of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other stakeholders were invited to contribute their views, comments and inputs on the themes proposed by the co-hosts for the interactive dialogues through a second global online stakeholder consultation.

A summary report is now available here. For more information about the global online consultation and all public responses, please visit the dedicated webpage.

launch

Announcements

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Please note that registration is now closed.

For information about participation, please refer to the logistic note.

States Members of the United Nations and members of the United Nations specialized agencies;
Intergovernmental organizations and other entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the sessions and work of the General Assembly; and relevant intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and international bodies that were accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
Associate members of the regional commissions;
Specialized agencies and related organizations;
Other intergovernmental organizations and other international bodies;
Interested United Nations organs;
Media

Questions?

Stakeholders are strongly recommended to read the Frequently Asked Questions on stakeholder participation at the UN 2023 Water Conference and its Prep Meetings.

If you still have questions, please contact the secretariat via email: water2023@un.org

A Concept for Change - What we mean when we talk about water security

The UN Water Conference 2023 marks a critical juncture for global water policy and is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Political will and ambition is needed to ensure the UN Water Conference serves to transform water action. The Conference can be the moment through which the world set a roadmap and timeline towards ensuring Water Security for All. This side event, organized by the Permanent Missions of Finland and Senegal, aims to bring together various stakeholders to raise awareness of the concept of water security and highlight why agreement on the concept would accelerate water action.

Save the date! A side event on the margins of the water conference preparatory meeting on Tuesday, October 25 from 8:15 am to 9:30 am will be hosted by the Permanent Missions of Finland and Senegal (605 3rd Avenue, 35th floor).

RSVP by Friday 21 October COB via this link.

The final concept note, "Water for COP27", can be found here.

Event to Launch the State of the World’s Drinking Water Report

UN Headquarters, Tuesday, 25 October 13:15-14:15, Conference Room 7

Despite significant gains, the world is not on track to meet the SDG target for safe drinking water. However, there are inspiring examples of progress, using the lens of the SDG6 Acceleration Framework, which provides a model of success for both governments and development partners.

The event will launch the first-ever “State of the World’s Drinking Water” report, and will present the findings and recommendations from WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank. The report is aimed at governments and the development partners who support them and includes a strong call to action for accelerated progress on access to safe, accessible and reliable drinking water. The session will start with a concise presentation on the current status of drinking water: where we are, what progress is needed, and who is being left behind, while drawing on data sources such as the WHO/UNICEF JMP and the UN Water GLAAS. The recommendations of the report, which follow the structure of the SDG6 Acceleration Framework, will then be presented. A discussion will take place with government representatives that have used a combination of accelerators to achieve inspiring progress in their countries and with partners on what the report means in terms of actions and priorities.

The messages and learning from the session will be relevant in the preparation of the 2023 UN Water Conference and will assist participants to understand issues around drinking water that must be raised and discussed at the 2023 Conference. It will also enable participants to support advocacy on the importance of safely managed drinking water, and the urgent need for increased prioritization and swift action. For more details, please refer to the agenda and concept note at this link.

Virtual Informal (webinar) briefing on the 25 Oct 2022 Preparatory Meeting

A virtual informal briefing (webinar) to the Member States at the expert level on the UN 2023 Water Conference’s Preparatory Meeting by the Office of the President of the General Assembly was held with the support from DESA on Wednesday, 19 Oct 2022, from 1:15 -2:00 p.m. EDT. The briefing featured updated information about the Conference, including its Preparatory Meeting to be held on 25 October 2022. For more details, please refer to the agenda and concept note at this link and recording is also available below.

Recording of Virtual Informal briefing on the 25 Oct 2022 Preparatory Meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference:

Name

Virtual Informal briefing on the 25 Oct 2022 Preparatory Meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference

Date

Wed, 07/17/2024 - 12:00

Side Event “Water in COP27”

This year is an exceptional opportunity to promote the links between water and climate agendas, through COP27 and the UN 2023 Water Conference. As the preparatory meeting for the UN2023 will be on 24 and 25 October 2022, the Egyptian COP27 Presidency is organizing a side event on 26 October 2022 entitled “Water in COP27”. During the event, the General Membership will be briefed on the Water Actions in COP27, namely: The High-Level Round Table on Water Security during the COP27 Summit, Water Pavilion, and Water Day. In addition, the event will shed light on “Action on Water Adaptation and Resilience” (AWARe initiative) and the Action Plan of the UNSG’s initiative to cover all persons on the planet with early warning systems within 5 years.

The concept note, "Water for COP27", can be found here.

Statements

Opening Remarks - DESA Under-Secretary-General and Conference Secretary General Mr. Li

Secretary-General Reports

A/CONF.240/2022/1 - Preparatory process of the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028 [Arabic] [Chinese] [English] [French] [Russian] [Spanish]

Related

Background

Announcements

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Please note that registration is now closed.

Questions?

A Concept for Change - What we mean when we talk about water security

Event to Launch the State of the World’s Drinking Water Report

Virtual Informal (webinar) briefing on the 25 Oct 2022 Preparatory Meeting

Side Event “Water in COP27”

Statements

Secretary-General Reports

Programme

Letters

Logistics Information

Other Documents

Written Inputs

Water and Sanitation

Preparatory Meeting of the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028

Related

Background

Announcements

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Please note that registration is now closed.

Questions?

A Concept for Change - What we mean when we talk about water security

Event to Launch the State of the World’s Drinking Water Report

Virtual Informal (webinar) briefing on the 25 Oct 2022 Preparatory Meeting

Side Event “Water in COP27”

Statements

Secretary-General Reports

Programme

Letters

Logistics Information

Other Documents

Written Inputs

Related Topics

Water and Sanitation