Address of His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange to the African Ministerial Council on Water, Kampala - Uganda, 4 November 2004
Your Excellency, President of Uganda,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your invitation to address this important gathering. I regret that I was unable to attend the Pan-African Conference on Water in Addis last December. As you know, there were happy family circumstances that did not allow me to attend. However, I was very pleased to read reports of the success of that Conference.
I wish to address to-day's African audience, and above all the African water ministers, by starting with the message that I am aware that many actions are underway, yet that more remains to be done to address the need for better management of the world's water resources, and in particular directed to water services and infrastructure which are essential to economic and social development, and to the management of the environment.
Over a billion live in absolute poverty, with incomes of less than one US dollar per day. Billions of people lack access to a safe water supply and sanitation. Rural communities lack access to water for subsistence farming. Droughts and floods wreak havoc and destroy years of hard work and savings. Scarce resources are polluted and overused. The natural sources of environmental services and of the species with which we share this planet are being destroyed.
The international community is aware of this situation. We have clear goals to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Countries are preparing national plans for Integrated Water Resources Management by 2005. Adaptation to climate variability and change is an emerging issue for water managers. And the UN Task Force on Water for the Millennium Development Goals has recognised the importance of water for achieving nearly all of the MDG's. Thus there is no doubt that water has been recognised as a critical factor on the Sustainable Development agenda. The efforts of the water community in raising awareness of the critical state of the world's water resources and of the need for water for health and development have succeeded.
Yet, a lot of work remains to be done. Citizens of the 10 wealthiest countries are 75 times richer than those who live in the 10 poorest ones. The gap is widening every year, not only between nations, but within nations as well. Lack of access to water for life and livelihood is one of the principal factors that maintain and increase this disparity, leaving poorer countries with large segments of their populations facing starvation, illiteracy, environmental degradation, violent conflict, and unnecessary illnesses.
The UN Convention states that 'special regard' should be given to 'the requirements of vital human needs.' In this context the world community is pointing to the situation in Africa. In Africa alone 175 million out of a rural population of 410 million have access to an improved water supply. The total number to be served will have increased through population growth to 517 million by 2015. Those in urban areas connected to a distribution system are considered to be served. Yet recent reports demonstrate that in many cases these distribution systems are not operated reliably, containing no water much of the time and the water which is available is often polluted. The figures for access to basic sanitation services and hygienic living conditions are even worse.
In this context I share the hypothesis that water security, necessary for food production and access to safe water, is essential for sustained economic development and poverty eradication and that there is a minimum platform of water resources infrastructure, services and institutions required to achieve 'water security'. However, investments in general, and investments in infrastructure in particular, require good governance and a reliable and attractive climate for investment.
Actions are underway, as I have seen this week in southern and east Africa. While water management is a universal concern, the response requires local and global cooperation in partnerships between governments at all levels, civil society, private sector and knowledge institutes.
Many governments have not yet included investments in water among their priorities, while the importance of water for achieving economic and social development is generally accepted. Therefore it is crucial for all of us to continue to raise awareness of the other sector ministers and in particular the ministers of finance and economic development. With the relevance of water management for basic services and for food production, water issues ought to be high on the list of priorities for national development planning and poverty alleviation strategies.
At the same time, it is of utmost importance that potential investors feel confident that their investments will turn out to be profitable and that no unforeseen developments will occur that undermine their investments. Good governance is the key, also in improving water security. I therefore would like to encourage you, together with other sector ministers, to take all necessary actions to improve the climate for investment in your countries. We know that without the involvement of the private sector we won't be able to reach our goals. Public-private partnerships can be an innovative solution to the challenge of finding additional sources of financing.
Many governments have begun the process of decentralising responsibility for the construction and management of services to local governments, including water and sanitation services. This approach has great potential for increasing the rate at which improved access to these services is achieved and maintained. However, it requires that the capacity be created at the local level, and it further requires that mechanisms be found to bring the financial resources to this level. The multilateral and regional development banks are looking at ways to achieve this through sub-sovereign lending.
I mentioned that reaching the water goals for Africa can be achieved through existing processes. One of these is the process of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The meeting of CSD 13 in April 2005 provides an opportunity for African countries to demonstrate the commitment that you have shown by formulating NEPAD, which has now been adopted as the socio-economic development plan of the African Union. I challenge you to think of CSD 13 as an occasion for you to put forward the policies that you know will work in Africa, and to ask the international community to support you in their implementation.
The U.N. General Assembly in September 2005 marking the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the MDG's provides another such occasion. This occasion will be even more important as it will permit the African Heads of State, like our host today, the real 'owners' of NEPAD, to refer to the policies that you have presented at CSD 13, to note how Africa is keeping its commitment under NEPAD, and to ask your partners to fulfil theirs.
Finally, in March 2006 at the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City, African governments, national and local, will have an opportunity to present cases that demonstrate how new policy approaches are being translated into actions on the ground. It is especially appropriate that the theme of this Forum will be 'Local Actions to Meet Global Challenges'.
In reviewing ongoing processes, I wish to salute you for the achievement of setting up the African Council of Water Ministers, gathered here. Through this council you will be able to guide water management across Africa, not only at the national level, but at regional levels as well. I believe that cooperation on transboundary river management issues fosters regional stability and development. I also want to praise another of your initiatives. I refer to the creation of the African Water Facility that was created by a coordinated effort of the Governors of the African Development Bank this summer. The AMCOW where the creators of this initiative and will continue to guide its overall direction through strong representation on its Governing Council. I encourage you to use it as an instrument to accelerate investment in the water sector in Africa and to build capacity.
Last tuesday I was present at a symposium about IWRM and the Millennium Development Goals organised among others by WaterNet in Windhoek.
WaterNet has attracted international attention and gained scientific recognition. It has established an impressive Master's programme in integrated water resources management, offered by 23 universities in Southern and East Africa. WaterNet has awarded a Master of Science degree to 46 water managers from 8 different countries in the region, 15 of them being women. This new generation of water managers is trained to think in a holistic way and will be your advisors with their multi disciplinary approach to IWRM in the region. WaterNet is proving such a successful network that I can't wait to see other regions in Africa trying to cooperate in the same manner.
I am now on my way to Addis Ababa where we will discuss water issues in relation to food production and ecosystem management. The Addis meeting prepares for a large conference that will take place in The Netherlands at the end of January. I hope to meet all of you there and then.
In closing, I wish to restate my personal commitment to the goals of providing healthy lives and livelihoods to all through water. As I have for several years now, I will continue to give special attention to any ways in which I may help you to achieve this objective in Africa. I am honoured to be your comrade in arms. Thank you for your attention!