It is a priority for the EU to accelerate global action to address the water crisis, driven by overdemand, mismanagement and the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Water resilience is also key to prevent and address the current and future health, food and energy crises. At EU Green Week, the European Commission will launch an awareness-raising campaign on the need to transform the way water is managed, used and valued. This #WaterWiseEU campaign will encourage people to “See Water Differently” and explore solutions to the various water challenges we are facing today. 

At the World Water Forum, the EU will announce joining the Freshwater Challenge, launched at last year’s UN Water Conference. It aims to accelerate the restoration of 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030. By joining this challenge, the EU is showing its commitment to nature-based solutions for ensuring a sustainable water supply. 

The EU will also support water cooperation at global level, by launching a new initiative with the International Network of Basin Organisations supporting peer-learning between Lake and River Basin Organisations. Based on EU experience, this action will strengthen institutional frameworks, human capacities, means for planning and implementation among basin organisations all over the globe. 

EU research and innovation will also be showcased at the Forum, through the co-funded EU partnership Water4All in a dedicated pavilion, and through the Horizon Europe Restore our Ocean & Waters Mission. The EU pavilion will host a one-day event to present EU Research and Innovation on water, the partnerships, the Mission and promoting their various actions. Different international actions with external partners like UNESCO, the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO) or UNEP will also be presented.  

The EU’s participation in the Forum emphasizes its commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 6 – ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The EU aims to keep water high on the global political agenda and to maintain the momentum from the UN 2023 Water Conference, where world leaders committed to accelerate actions for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. The EU will join high-level discussions on the Water Action Agenda (WAA), Hydro-diplomacy and Peace, Water Governance, One Health approach and Water Information Systems. It will advocate for full implementation of the commitments made to the WAA and for enhancing water cooperation as a tool for security, stability, prosperity and peace. The EU will also showcase its support for the development of water information systems as fundamental tools for providing more comprehensive and valuable information for water resource management and decision-making.  

EU Ambassador to Indonesia Denis Chaibi said: 

The EU commends Indonesia for hosting the 10^th World Water Forum, an important international event to discuss global water issues. The EU sees water cooperation as a vector for peace, security and regional stability. Integrated Water Resources Management enables us to strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation with our partners. The EU has a wealth of experience and tools at its disposal, which it wishes to put to good use with the International Network of Basin Organizations, to a network of technical and institutional exchanges between basin organizations. This initiative is part of a broader approach to implementing the Global Gateway. 

Background

On the Forum  

The World Water Forum is held every three years, and brings the international water sector together, including Heads of State, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector. At the Forum, as part of the thematic process, the European Commission will coordinate the topic “Sound water supply and demand” under the sub-theme “Water Security and Prosperity”. A Ministerial Declaration will be adopted on 20 May. 

On the global water crisis 

It is estimated that almost half of the world’s population will suffer acute water stress by 2030. Worldwide, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water and more than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation. This threatens the health of millions of individuals, especially the most vulnerable groups. Increasing water stress impacts food and energy security and ecosystem health and hampers socio-economic and human development. Increased competition for dwindling freshwater resources threatens stability among and within nations through conflicts, displacement or migration. 

On EU-funded Research and Innovation on water  

Water4All is a joint initiative from the European Commission, the EU Member States and non-EU partnering countries which aims to bring partners together to work towards the sustainable use of water resources in Europe and beyond.Water4All is a co-funded partnership under Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. The partnership’s overall budget is estimated to €400-450 million including an estimated European Union contribution of €126 million over the 10 years duration. It addresses the wider global water emergency crisis, related to water scarcity, water pollution, especially emerging contaminants, like micro-pollutants and micro-plastics, extreme hydro-meteorological events, ecosystems and biodiversity decline. Its vision is to boost the systemic transformation and changes across the entire research – water innovation pipeline, fostering the matchmaking between problem owners and solution providers to ensure water security for all in the long term. 

Five EU Missions have been launched under Horizon Europe programme. They aim to deliver concrete solutions to big societal challenges by putting research and innovation into a new role, combined with new forms of governance and collaboration, as well as by engaging citizens.  

The Horizon Europe Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters“ is restoring the health of one of our most precious shared resources: our ocean and waters. This means protecting and restoring marine and freshwater biodiversity and ecosystems, eliminating pollution, and making the blue economy carbon-neutral and circular. The Mission will look at the whole water system from rivers to the seas and ocean. To support the Mission objectives and its related lighthouses, two cross-cutting enablers will be enhanced: the digital ocean and water knowledge system and broad public mobilisation and engagement. 

For More Information 

Register for EU Green Week 2024 on water resilience  

European Commission’s #WaterWiseEU campaign 

Joint Statement by High Representative Borrell and Commissioner Sinkevičius on World Water Day 

EU efforts on the global water agenda