IUCN
World Headquarters
Rue Mauverney 28
CH-1196 Gland
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 22 999 0000
Fax: +41 22 999 0002
E-mail: mail@iucn.org
Web: http://iucn.org IUCN The World Conservation Union
toFPAofOEN ttRRhhDeeM CN UIANOANNTTNIEEUTSNRERETDNAR ALOVN TABRAITSOETIEISNOOROANNVLU SOE RURFCN NMEIOASISNTSUIROEN
4N0e4w E Yaosrtk 6, 6N"e' wSt rYeoertk, A10p0t.2 112-C
TFEea-mlx: :a+ +i1l1:- -2b21h12a2-g-7w733a44t-@-776u60n08.8int
IUCN SRteasteomurecnets o Mn aInntaeggermateendt Water
Delivered by Achim Steiner, Director General
Commissi1o3nth oSne Ssusisotna ionfa bthlee DUeNvelopment
21N Aepwr iYl o2r0k05
IUCN Statement to 13th Session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development
New York, 21 October 2005
Thank you Mr. Chair,
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a number of recent reports that inform our consideration
of the issues of water, sanitation and human settlements.
The Millennium Project Report, the Secretary General's "In Larger Freedom" and the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment provide a series of powerful tools to connect our discussions to the upcoming
Millennium + 5 Summit in September.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in particular points out that "the loss of services derived from
ecosystems is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce
poverty, hunger, and disease."
In terms of water, we are reaching our limits. Some rivers no longer reach the sea, and groundwater
levels are falling dramatically in many parts of the world. We are seriously undermining the capacity of our
life-support systems to provide us with the water resources that are vital to the lives of people and the
economies of countries.
IUCN is encouraged by many of the positive developments taking place to reach the MDGs. Increasing
ODA levels, creative financing mechanisms, and governance innovations are all steps in the right
direction. Two other technical suggestions to ensure sustainability of water supply are the implementation
of environmental flows and the use of economic valuation of ecosystem services in planning and
decision-making.
Mr. Chair, the actions and options proposed by the esteemed delegates are based on practical
experiences in their countries and reveal innovative solutions that are applicable elsewhere. Such
solutions are urgently needed.
But within them and beside them, we need more investments in ecosystems to maintain the goods and
services they provide. This is not just essential to ensure sustainable supplies of water, it is vital to
achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals.
Mr. Chair, I would like to cite a few examples of such investments, based on IUCN's own field experience
and partnerships:
Implement environmental flows
Environmental flows offer a set of tools to rationalize the allocation of water, to protect downstream users
and ecosystems, and to ensure the long-term prosperity of a river basin.
Strengthen governance at all levels and involve stakeholders
Water governance can be improved at all levels, from local community involvement, to national level
planning, to transnational basin-wide cooperation through legal review and stakeholder participation at all
levels.
Apply economic valuation and payment for environmental services
eViinncafnooloulrovamgatiaitocitvnaioe lo n spf e tamhryvaumitcl tieeimpnslp teo rs ofwc vfhareeetsesm rhd euwessva eeftoe laorr n pebdmna veseiicnrnoot ensdcymesocetsiensymitsoat nleb ssme.en sFrev.uficirttesh sep,r rwmovhoiidrceeh,s hi td eieslpc t ihtsoeio mbna-amsiniastak fieonrr s st howemit hde e aovdfe dtlhoitepio mvniaetalnlt of
Institutional Follow up
ttpFhariernigv abaelrtltyeos aMasdenr .cdr atC ognhrog aaaeinlr so,d .fI UIlpoUCocClaNicNl iece sonstmd aaonmnrddsuse n msriet eitaehadses y uac rtraeoels l c u ftoonhnrda tretre ircbgtaouukutleainn rttg,ro i se ttoyshs ,im stien eimtmeeatrp nttoihacret tima oMnnotDan wliG tooosrrrg iknaa gninn,di zpa oaasttsrhitoeennsre ssirn,ms tcheeiivrpnni tl w asationitohcdn i eoarettlyhlpy,e o tarhrsgtei.nrege odn
Thank you Mr. Chair.
2 1 Statement
eCnananrectduoa rsutaeorlda mr geienes o11au09nr,4dc0e8 0as,s 0 IisU ssi sCcetiq Nesun oi-ttc aiTsiebhtslteeie a asWn ntdohd r reelodxcu poCgelhoorogntsuisc tefa rtrlohlvymea s t wiu1oos8ntr1 alUd inc ntaooiobu cnlneo t.brniresinesgr ivsne ta oth gueen tiihnqetuereg 7 rwi9tyo S raltdanwtde idds,iev 1 ep1ras4ri ttGyn eoorvfs enhrainptmu. rIeeUn aCt naNdg' seto nm ceiisnesssiu,o r8ne0 it0sh atpotl u ainsn fyNlu uGesnOec' seo,,f
chIoUenaCsdNeqr uvisaa rtttiheoerns waaonrrdeld bi'nsio Gldailrvagenerdss,ti tSeyw nsvittrizraoetnerlmgaineedsn..t aIUl kCnNo wisle ad gmeu nltiectuwltourrka la, nmdu hltailsin hgeulaple odr goavneirz a7t5io cno wunitthri e1s0 0to0 psrteapffa lorec aatnedd iimn p6l2e mcoeunnt tnriaetsio. nItasl IUCN
Rue Mauverney 28
CH-1196 Gland
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 22 999 0000
Fax: +41 22 999 0002
E-mail: mail@iucn.org
Web: http://iucn.org IUCN The World Conservation Union
toFPAofOEN ttRRhhDeeM CN UIANOANNTTNIEEUTSNRERETDNAR ALOVN TABRAITSOETIEISNOOROANNVLU SOE RURFCN NMEIOASISNTSUIROEN
4N0e4w E Yaosrtk 6, 6N"e' wSt rYeoertk, A10p0t.2 112-C
TFEea-mlx: :a+ +i1l1:- -2b21h12a2-g-7w733a44t-@-776u60n08.8int
IUCN SRteasteomurecnets o Mn aInntaeggermateendt Water
Delivered by Achim Steiner, Director General
Commissi1o3nth oSne Ssusisotna ionfa bthlee DUeNvelopment
21N Aepwr iYl o2r0k05
IUCN Statement to 13th Session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development
New York, 21 October 2005
Thank you Mr. Chair,
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a number of recent reports that inform our consideration
of the issues of water, sanitation and human settlements.
The Millennium Project Report, the Secretary General's "In Larger Freedom" and the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment provide a series of powerful tools to connect our discussions to the upcoming
Millennium + 5 Summit in September.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in particular points out that "the loss of services derived from
ecosystems is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce
poverty, hunger, and disease."
In terms of water, we are reaching our limits. Some rivers no longer reach the sea, and groundwater
levels are falling dramatically in many parts of the world. We are seriously undermining the capacity of our
life-support systems to provide us with the water resources that are vital to the lives of people and the
economies of countries.
IUCN is encouraged by many of the positive developments taking place to reach the MDGs. Increasing
ODA levels, creative financing mechanisms, and governance innovations are all steps in the right
direction. Two other technical suggestions to ensure sustainability of water supply are the implementation
of environmental flows and the use of economic valuation of ecosystem services in planning and
decision-making.
Mr. Chair, the actions and options proposed by the esteemed delegates are based on practical
experiences in their countries and reveal innovative solutions that are applicable elsewhere. Such
solutions are urgently needed.
But within them and beside them, we need more investments in ecosystems to maintain the goods and
services they provide. This is not just essential to ensure sustainable supplies of water, it is vital to
achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals.
Mr. Chair, I would like to cite a few examples of such investments, based on IUCN's own field experience
and partnerships:
Implement environmental flows
Environmental flows offer a set of tools to rationalize the allocation of water, to protect downstream users
and ecosystems, and to ensure the long-term prosperity of a river basin.
Strengthen governance at all levels and involve stakeholders
Water governance can be improved at all levels, from local community involvement, to national level
planning, to transnational basin-wide cooperation through legal review and stakeholder participation at all
levels.
Apply economic valuation and payment for environmental services
eViinncafnooloulrovamgatiaitocitvnaioe lo n spf e tamhryvaumitcl tieeimpnslp teo rs ofwc vfhareeetsesm rhd euwessva eeftoe laorr n pebdmna veseiicnrnoot ensdcymesocetsiensymitsoat nleb ssme.en sFrev.uficirttesh sep,r rwmovhoiidrceeh,s hi td eieslpc t ihtsoeio mbna-amsiniastak fieonrr s st howemit hde e aovdfe dtlhoitepio mvniaetalnlt of
Institutional Follow up
ttpFhariernigv abaelrtltyeos aMasdenr .cdr atC ognhrog aaaeinlr so,d .fI UIlpoUCocClaNicNl iece sonstmd aaonmnrddsuse n msriet eitaehadses y uac rtraeoels l c u ftoonhnrda tretre ircbgtaouukutleainn rttg,ro i se ttoyshs ,im stien eimtmeeatrp nttoihacret tima oMnnotDan wliG tooosrrrg iknaa gninn,di zpa oaasttsrhitoeennsre ssirn,ms tcheeiivrpnni tl w asationitohcdn i eoarettlyhlpy,e o tarhrsgtei.nrege odn
Thank you Mr. Chair.
2 1 Statement
eCnananrectduoa rsutaeorlda mr geienes o11au09nr,4dc0e8 0as,s 0 IisU ssi sCcetiq Nesun oi-ttc aiTsiebhtslteeie a asWn ntdohd r reelodxcu poCgelhoorogntsuisc tefa rtrlohlvymea s t wiu1oos8ntr1 alUd inc ntaooiobu cnlneo t.brniresinesgr ivsne ta oth gueen tiihnqetuereg 7 rwi9tyo S raltdanwtde idds,iev 1 ep1ras4ri ttGyn eoorvfs enhrainptmu. rIeeUn aCt naNdg' seto nm ceiisnesssiu,o r8ne0 it0sh atpotl u ainsn fyNlu uGesnOec' seo,,f
chIoUenaCsdNeqr uvisaa rtttiheoerns waaonrrdeld bi'nsio Gldailrvagenerdss,ti tSeyw nsvittrizraoetnerlmgaineedsn..t aIUl kCnNo wisle ad gmeu nltiectuwltourrka la, nmdu hltailsin hgeulaple odr goavneirz a7t5io cno wunitthri e1s0 0to0 psrteapffa lorec aatnedd iimn p6l2e mcoeunnt tnriaetsio. nItasl IUCN