The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Sidik Mia, recently attended the UN Summit on Groundwater that took place at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
The Summit was centered around the UN World Water Development Report 2022 as a baseline and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework to define actions towards more responsible and sustainable use and protection of groundwater as a vital natural resource.
During the meeting, the Minister on behalf of the Malawian people expressed sincere gratitude to UNESCO and its affiliates for organizing the convention stating that it was a crucial summit as groundwater plays a crucial part in maintaining human life and natural ecosystems on earth.
In her address, the Minister highlighted that sustainable management of groundwater is dependent on a holistic approach, where different components are integrated and linked by a shared value – Groundwater Security.
The minister also mentioned the need to capacitate institutions at all levels to respond to groundwater resource challenges, especially under sudden and extreme climatic shocks, and further urged groundwater scientists and administrative professionals in the sector to continue exploring solutions that enable groundwater protection and sustainable harvesting.
The UN Summit on Groundwater 2022 brought attention to groundwater issues at the highest international level. The Summit also unified statements from all major water-related events in 2021 and 2022, focusing towards the next UN Water Conference for 2023, where progress on sustainable water management will be further assessed.
