Ministerial Statement for the UN Water Conference Plenary Session

Check against delivery

Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Seven years ago – here in New York – the world made a promise to the millions of people affected by the water crisis: A promise of “clean water and sanitation for all”.

Now, we have less than seven years to deliver on that promise – on SDG 6.

Meanwhile, in many regions, the task has only grown bigger:

Climate change has made it harder to ensure our cities and communities with safe and sufficient water.

And many of the solutions we relied on in the past are no longer enough.

For Denmark, the situation is clear:

If we want to work out the right solutions, then we need to work together.

Because no one can solve the water crisis alone.

For decades, Denmark has focused on partnerships in the water sector.

Partnerships that go across the public and the private sector – and go beyond borders.

These partnerships have played a key role in modernizing our water sector.

Today, our water sector is one of the world’s most efficient when it comes to water and energy consumption.

And our water sector has now set the goal of becoming entirely climate and energy neutral before 2030.

We have no doubt: To deliver on the promise of clean water for all, we need partnerships on a local as well as a global scale.

Only through cooperation can we achieve the solutions, technology and investments needed for success. Here, Denmark is proud to contribute with a range of water actions.

Let me mention some of our new commitments:

We are scaling up our strategic sector cooperation on water.

This cooperation is based on peer-to-peer approach with a long-term cooperation between a Danish sector authority and an authority in a partner country.

Countries include India, China, South Africa, Morocco and Ethiopia.

We will host and resource UNICEF’s Sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Innovation Hub in Copenhagen.

The Hub will open this year and will benefit all developing countries.

We have made a significant pledge to join the Team Europe Initiative on Transboundary Water Management in Africa.

This EU flagship initiative includes pledges of more than 400 million USD to enhance transboundary water management and support development and regional integration in Africa.

And we are enhancing our partnerships with the World Bank’s Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership - to contribute to its objective of achieve a water secure world for all by sustaining water resources, delivering services, and building resilience.

We live in a global water crisis and we need global efforts.

That calls for a new Special UN Envoy for Water

Seven years ago we made a promise of “clean water for all”. Now, let us come together to fulfill this promise.

Denmark is ready - To implement SDG6 at home and to assist developing countries and other countries to do the same.

Thank you.