Germany
Germany fully associates itself with the statement of Slovenia, on behalf of the European Union. First of all, I would like to thank the excellent panel which provided a very concise and useful overview of the current situation in the water sector. This was the most interesting and lively panel since I have joined CSD process.
We got this morning a comprehensive and diverse picture about the strength and the weaknesses on the implementation process of the water, sanitation and IWRM goals. Germany made water and sanitation and IWRM a priority in it?s development agenda as No. 3 amongst the bilateral donors. In our development agenda the three elements - drinking water, sanitation, and IWRM, are a triangle where no corner can be singled out.
Beyond the outlined difficulties we are convinced of the urgent need to make further progress in the implementation of the water related MDG?s.
Germany knows how difficult it is to cooperate and implement Integrated Water Resources Management because we share eight transboundary rivers and lakes. And we know from the early 70ths when the River Rhine was known as the ?most romantic sewer? in Europe, how difficult it is to mobilize investments in waste water treatment plants to get a river clean and to be able to provide millions of people with save drinking water. We are committed to sharing these national and transboundary experiences with others.
We see a need to further improve the international water governance arrangements. We applaud UN Water for its excellent work. The improved structures and the products presented, show a sharp profile. Furthermore, we wish that UN-Water becomes a unique and powerful voice for water in the UN-System. We also encourage UN Water to strengthen its coordination efforts at the regional level and build closer ties with the Regional Commissions. Finally, we would welcome closer cooperation between UNSGAB and UN-Water.
Importantly, if it comes to MDG-Monitoring, we need to ensure coherence and accuracy of the generated data, acknowledging and taking into account the new urbanization patterns as outlined by Roberto Lenton and Bert Diphoorn. We have to avoid the risk that too low coverage data could lead to misleading incentives for resource allocation and necessary investments in the water and sanitation sector.
Finally, I like to underline how important water is in the context of Climate change, because on could state that mitigation is energy and adaptation is water. On top of the difficulties in implementing the water related MDG?s we have to make sure that efficient adaptation strategies are developed. There is, however, another problem we have to face very clearly: Climate Change should not be used as an excuse for poor water management techniques.
We got this morning a comprehensive and diverse picture about the strength and the weaknesses on the implementation process of the water, sanitation and IWRM goals. Germany made water and sanitation and IWRM a priority in it?s development agenda as No. 3 amongst the bilateral donors. In our development agenda the three elements - drinking water, sanitation, and IWRM, are a triangle where no corner can be singled out.
Beyond the outlined difficulties we are convinced of the urgent need to make further progress in the implementation of the water related MDG?s.
Germany knows how difficult it is to cooperate and implement Integrated Water Resources Management because we share eight transboundary rivers and lakes. And we know from the early 70ths when the River Rhine was known as the ?most romantic sewer? in Europe, how difficult it is to mobilize investments in waste water treatment plants to get a river clean and to be able to provide millions of people with save drinking water. We are committed to sharing these national and transboundary experiences with others.
We see a need to further improve the international water governance arrangements. We applaud UN Water for its excellent work. The improved structures and the products presented, show a sharp profile. Furthermore, we wish that UN-Water becomes a unique and powerful voice for water in the UN-System. We also encourage UN Water to strengthen its coordination efforts at the regional level and build closer ties with the Regional Commissions. Finally, we would welcome closer cooperation between UNSGAB and UN-Water.
Importantly, if it comes to MDG-Monitoring, we need to ensure coherence and accuracy of the generated data, acknowledging and taking into account the new urbanization patterns as outlined by Roberto Lenton and Bert Diphoorn. We have to avoid the risk that too low coverage data could lead to misleading incentives for resource allocation and necessary investments in the water and sanitation sector.
Finally, I like to underline how important water is in the context of Climate change, because on could state that mitigation is energy and adaptation is water. On top of the difficulties in implementing the water related MDG?s we have to make sure that efficient adaptation strategies are developed. There is, however, another problem we have to face very clearly: Climate Change should not be used as an excuse for poor water management techniques.
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