Our policy demands
Civil society's wake-up call to tackle the global water crisis
Water is the major social and ecological issue of the 21st century. All stakeholders acknowledge the significant challenges we face in implementing the human rights to water and sanitation and in managing our water resources in an equitable and sustainable way.
Although water is primarily managed locally, the water crisis is GLOBAL: the entire international community is concerned. The World Water Forum, to be held from 21 to 26 March 2022 in Dakar, Senegal, is a key step towards the United Nations Water Conference in March 2023, where all States will be gathered.
Our recommendations to the States and the international community:
The members of the Butterfly Effect NGO coalition call for a global response to the water crisis!
5 concrete political changes are necessary:
- A stronger political will
- Stronger water governance
- Actively involved citizens and civil society
- Strong and transparent financial commitments
- A renewed multilateral framework
Our process:
These demands are the result of a participatory advocacy process led for almost a year by the international NGO coalition of the Butterfly Effect. This process, which was conducted from the local to the global level, mobilized more than 200 participants from civil society in the water sector from all 5 continents.
Our messages were developed through a consultation of our members and 6 online workshops coordinated by regional water civil society networks. The results of these workshops are compiled in a detailed synthesis.
Our final proposals are gathered in this policy position paper.
With the World Water Forum approaching and the UN Water Conference just one year away, we expect a global awakening of States to face the water crisis!
Process facilitated by :
Supported by:
Civil society's call to strengthen international water governance
From March 22 to 24 2023, a UN intergovernemental conference dedicated to addressing global water issues will be held in New York City for the first time in 46 years. This is a once-in-a-llifetime opportunity to rally the States and the international community around our most precious and finite resource "water" and give us the chance to solve the water crisis.
WATER, THE MAJOR ISSUE OF THE 21ST CENTURY
Water is essential for all aspects of development, being a major driver for an equal and peaceful world, and being the key to ensure our survival. And yet:
- 2,2 billons of people worldwide do not have access to water
- Lack of access to sanitation affects 3,6 billion people globally
- Over 80% of wastewater is released in our oceans and rivers without treatment or reuse
- Widespread droughts could become the next pandemic as climate change intensifies while by buisness as usual 50% of the world's population will be living under water stress conditions by 2050.
STATES AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST FACE THE WATER CRISIS
To address pressing water challenges and make the human rights to water and sanitation a reality as well as to ensure the implementation of SDG 6 and all water-related goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an intergovernmental UN Conference dedicated to water every 46 years is not sufficient. At this rate we won't reach the objectives that the States and the international community have set.
Moreover, the world faces interconnected risks that threaten to cause a polycrisis. Climate-related risks - which are directly linked to water - are one of the greatest future threats facing the world. Food crises are multiplying, alternative energy sources in most cases are not possible without water, the security of the planet is threatened, inflation is galloping, while the pressure on resources is growing and water is becoming the object of greed and tension.
In fact, water is a major geopolitical issue including a peace issue. The management of this virtual unique and necessarly shared resource is a subject that connaot be ignored by the international community.
The most vulnerable are already paying a high price for the inability of States to translate into policies and actions the commitments made in the frameworkf of the human rights to water and sanitation (A/RES/64/92), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainabkle Development, the Paris Climate Agreement, biodiversity and regional conferences, as well as the UNFCC COP. Moreover, funding is not reaching the people on the ground whose lives have begun to change drastically. States and the international community are not up to the threats to the planet and humanity.
Discover our policy position paper to learn more
The Butterfly Effect is coordinated by the International Secretariat for Water
The Butterfly Effect steering committee members
With the support of*
* The views expressed in this document do not represent the offical views of the organizations providing financial support
The Butterfly Effect reminds the international community of its commitments, and calls for urgent action to tackle the water crisis
The urgent need to resolve the global water crisis has never been more evident. Despite ongoing advocacy and calls for action, the key demands of the Butterfly Effect remain unanswered, even as the crisis worsens. In the run-up to important global processes such as the 10th World Water Forum in Bali and the forthcoming UN Water Conferences in 2026 and 2028, it is imperative that states and the international community recognize the gravity of the situation and act swiftly. The global water crisis demands immediate attention, because the 20th century will either be “blue” or it won't be. The stakes are high, and the time has come to take significant action!
The Butterfly Effect coalition reiterates five essential political demands to the international community:
- Stronger political will
- Improved water governance
- Solid and transparent financial commitments
- Involvement of citizens and civil society
- A renewed multilateral framework
The Butterfly Effect at the 10th World Water Forum (Bali, May 18-25, 2024)
The World Water Forum is the largest international gathering to discuss water and sanitation issues. [...]
Civil society plays a crucial role in these discussions, defending marginalized communities and promoting social cohesion and participatory democracy. Despite facing challenges such as shrinking civic space and authoritarian regimes, civil society movements continue to push for change and defend democratic values around the world.
However, we are discouraged by the insufficient support given to civil society participation by the organizers of the 10th World Water Forum. There is a notable lack of facilitation and encouragement for their involvement in the forum proceedings.
Find out more about our messages for the 10th World Water Forum and the call for urgent action by the international community in this field, all the more necessary as crises and conflicts multiply and the effects of climate change on water resources are increasingly felt.
