DUSHANBE, 21.06.2018. /NIAT “Khovar”/. Qatar has achieved the sixth goal of sustainable development by ensuring the availability of water and sanitation services for all in the country, the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada said on Wednesday.

He was addressing the high-level conference on International Decade for Action, «Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028», in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The event runs until Friday.

Dr. al-Sada stressed the importance of intelligent water management as a basis for sustainable development, as water plays an essential role in adapting the social, economic and environmental systems with accelerating changes.

The minister also referred to the launch of the Permanent Water Resources Strategy Committee and Qatar’s National Water Act, which aim to secure water for future generations.

The Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) president Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari reviewed the efforts of achieving the sixth goal of sustainable development in light of the rapid population growth witnessed by Qatar and Kahramaa’s efforts to ensure water quality according to the highest international standards.

Al-Kuwari praised the success of Kahramaa through the National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed) in reducing the per capita consumption of water, despite the increase in demand and comprehensive renaissance in Qatar.

He pointed to Qatar’s efforts in achieving water and food security through the strategy of integrated water management, water recycling and use in a number of purposes such as central cooling of the areas as an alternative to drinking water in accordance with the decisions of the Permanent Water Resources Strategy Committee.

The conference, organised by the Government of Tajikistan in co-operation with the United Nations (UN) and a number of partners, aims to continue and enrich the debate on the high-level launch event of the International Decade for Action «Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028» held on March 22 in New York. It discusses ways in which the member-states, relevant UN bodies, specialised agencies, regional commissions and other organisations of the UN system, as well as relevant partners, including the private sector, can contribute to support the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan.

The conference also discusses the importance of monitoring, financing, capacity development, innovation, technology, knowledge, information, and data, as well as best practices and promoting partnership to implement those objectives.

More than 1,000 participants from 100 countries, including heads of state, government, ministers, senior officials, UN agencies representatives, international and regional organisations, international financial institutions, business communities, non-governmental organisations and civil society, and selected scientists and experts in this field are participating in the conference, which seeks to implement water goals and targets.

The conference will deepen the understanding of the International Decade for Action «Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028», promote integrated water resources management and stimulate actions to support the implementation of water-related sustainable development goals.

It also aims to mobilise the efforts of governments, UN agencies, international organisations and non-governmental organisations, as well as other parties at all levels, to implement the Decade for Action to achieve internationally agreed water goals to ensure greater emphasis on integrated water resources management to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan and create a solid platform for co-ordinated and integrated actions aimed at promoting sustainable water resource management.