UCESIF calls for the creation of a Francophone Water Alliance

2023-06-06 01:02:59

After two (02) days of intense reflections, proposals and amendments in Cotonou, in particular the 1^is and June 02, 2023 on the issue of water management, the members of the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Francophone Institutions (UCESIF), unanimously adopted a host of initiatives for governance some water. Discover the solutions they recommend for a participatory and inclusive approach on the subject.

Declaration of Cotonou following the General Assembly of UCESIF

Cotonou Call on Water Governance

We, Economic and Social Councils, members of the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Francophone Institutions,

Let us note, following the example of the United Nations World Water Conference of March 22, 2023, an urgent need to strengthen international actions regarding the management of this essential good for life, whose access remains too small for a large part of the French-speaking population.

Let us note – everywhere in the world – the deterioration of its quality by multiple sources of pollution, and the numerous tensions between uses and at the borders of States, which requires a better sharing of this good, an equitable sharing.

Let us express our concern about the threats that global warming poses to water resources in Europe, Asia and especially in Africa. We note an exacerbation of extreme phenomena, droughts and floods, first impacting the most vulnerable communities, and provoking the multiplication of conflicts of use and territorial, local, transnational and regional use.

Let us recall the urgency and importance of integrating the water cycle in the development of public policies, in order to ensure territorial and social equity, and to better protect the health of humans and ecosystems.

Let us insist on the need to consider the water, energy and food security nexus within the framework of an integrated vision.

Let us observe the difficulties faced by governments and world political decision-makers, which justifies the deployment of a true French-speaking initiative in terms of the preservation, management and restoration of resources and aquatic environments.

We affirm the interest of strengthening multilateral cooperation in the French-speaking world, making it possible to co-construct and share solutions that are fair, sustainable and adapted to the needs of populations.

With proven expertise and field experience, strength of reflection, proposal and support,

We, the 23 Economic and Social Councils members of UCESIF, carry out work and reflection on the governance of the water sector which relate in particular to institutional steering, resource management, wastewater treatment and reuse, desalination and its impact on marine ecosystems, pollution by solid waste, adaptation of agriculture to climate change , migrations in relation to water stress, the cost and pricing of water ;

We, the 23 Economic and Social Councils members of UCESIF, call, within the framework of a participatory and inclusive approach, the International Organization of La Francophonie and its Member States to:

Put the issue of water, the reconciliation of its different uses and its governance at the top of the political agenda;

Create a Francophone Water Alliance, which allows Member States and all the stakeholders concerned to take full measure of the challenges, to propose an ambitious vision of the governance of this essential good for life and to carry it forward coordinated manner at the level of dedicated international bodies (COP, World Water Forum, etc.);

Associate UCESIF and its members in the work of the said Alliance with the aim of better taking into account the needs of the populations and greater involvement of civil society organizations and citizens in the development of solutions and their Implementation ;

To strenghtenat the level of each of our States, the contribution of the Economic and Social Councils in the development and monitoring of national policies relating to water.

Cotonou, June 2, 2023

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June 6, 2023