World Water Day: Water for all, no one left behind

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha (centre) and representatives of Dien Bien province, the UNDP, the Hungarian Embassy and the World Water Day Ambassador launch the meeting in response to the World Water Day. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) - The World Water Day 2019 aims to popularise the access to clean water of the community so as to realise the goal of access to hygienic water sources which are safe to the health of the community.

Under the theme of “Water for all – No one is left behind”, the World Water Day and the Vietnam International Water Week 2019 was held on March 23 in Hanoi.

The day looks to popularise the access to clean water of the community so as to realise Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6). Access to hygienic and safe water sources is a basis of the community health, and this is very important to the sustainable development.

The event also wished to look for solutions to the cause of the phenomenon that many are still left behind in the access to water sources and to stress that the right to use clean water is of every people, regardless of the jobs, positions, sexes and complexions.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said SDG6 clearly points out that all the people have the right to use water by 2030, and this means that nobody does not have the right to use water. However, current reality shows that globally, there are about 2.1 billion people who cannot access services on water and nearly 80 percent of rural dwellers do not have such a right.

That is not to say that each day, about 700 children under the age of five die of cholera caused by unsafe and dirty water. The shortage of clean water is causing adverse impact on poor, sensitive and vulnerable communities like women, children, refugees, ethnic minority people and the handicapped.

That is why the concrete objective of the World Water Day 2019 include water for women; water for workplaces and production; water for rural areas and refugees; water for mothers; water for children; water for school children ad students; water for locals and ethnic minority people; water for the handicapped; etc.

“Together with the access to sufficient water, that to safe water is a basis for the community health. This is of great importance to the sustainable development, for a stable and prosperous world. We cannot proceed to globalisation while many people are living without safe water sources,” stressed Minister Ha.

Representatives of 26 provinces and cities receive documents on water resources from Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The minister called on authorities of all the levels, sectors, localities, communities and all the people to strive for the disadvantaged in the society, and to build and perfect policies as well as laws on water so that “no one is left behind” in access and use of hygienic and safe water.

Minister Ha also said that to achieve the goal of “water for all”, in 2019 and the subsequent years, the ministry will continue joining hands with other ministries, sectors and localities to bring resolutions of the Party, National Assembly and Government into life, thus ensuring national water security.

To achieve the goal, the minister said efforts should be focused on communications work related to water resources, strengthening the protection of the resources; surveying and planning; and dealing with law violations.

He also asked all the organisations, individuals and firms throughout the country to go along with the Government and the ministry, raising ideas and taking concrete and practical acts to deal with pollution and to protect rivers and water sources.

The representative of the UN stressed that the human right to water and hygiene has been recognized in various countries. The 2030 agenda has highlighted challenges and stressed that economic prosperity will depend on water.

The official also voiced the UN’s pledge to support measures to raise the efficiency of the preservation of water sources.

Within the framework of the meeting, the ministry also announced and handed over products of water resources to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and about northern 30 provinces and cities. At the same time, it named the Ambassador of the Vietnam World Water Day 2019./.