DUSHANBE, 19.10.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – On October 15, in order to implement the goals and objectives of the International Decade for Action «Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028,» the Permanent Mission of Tajikistan to the UN organized a meeting of the Group of Friends of Water.

The main theme of the event was the Mid-Term Review Conference of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028,» which will be held in New York in 2023.

The co-hosts of the conference are the Special Envoy of Tajikistan for Water Issues Sulton Rahimzoda and the Special Envoy of the Netherlands for Water Issues Hank Ovink, who briefed the participants on the preparatory process for the UN Water Conference 2023.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin as a Secretary-General of the UN Water Conference 2023 also shared his views on the preparatory process.

The meeting was also attended by the Under- Secretary-General, UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States Courtenay Rattray, and Vice-Chair of UN-Water Kelly Ann Naylor.

Additionally, the number of other representatives took the floor and informed the participants on the regional preparatory meeting towards UN Water Conference 2023, including the Regional Preparatory Event for the 2023 Water Conference in Singapore (25.06.2021), the High-Level Conference on Sustainable Development Goal 6 in Bonn (1.07. 2021), the Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Japan (2022), the Symposium on Water Action Decade within the framework of the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal (2022), as well as the Second High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action «Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028,» in Dushanbe (2022).

The event was attended by representatives of more than 90 countries at the ambassadorial level.