25.03.2023, United States

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

We came together in thousands, in New York these last three days, for the second ever, first in 46 years UN 2023 Water Conference.

We came together because of the urgency: the water is connected to everything else: food, health, climate, nature, culture, and our economies.

And we came together because of the opportunity: water is connected to everything life. It’s indeed life itself.

We know we must radically change the way we understand, value and manage water. There is a need for a new water vision that will reflect the prospects for the development of water resources for the period after 2030, which in its turn will help to reinforce the role of freshwater resources in the next global agenda.

These three days were empowering: we brought the world to New Yok, now we can bring water action to the world.

The water challenges are affecting us all, everywhere.

Your input and reflections in the five interactive dialogues, in the special events and the hundreds of side events showed that our principles of this conference were no empty ambitions: inclusive, cross sectoral and action oriented.

We have to strengthen the nexus approach for water with food, health, cities and rural areas, as well as energy and climate, and make water the driver for sustainable development.

This precious and limited resource, fresh water, is the lever for scaling up climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience. When treated right it helps curb biodiversity decline through water sustainability at scale.

In public-private partnerships water drives innovation to help us reinvent the future, without replicating the past.

We need the best data and capacity for early warning for all, paired with scaled up capacity, to revolutionize how countries are equipped to address increasing flood, drought, and water related risks holistically and inclusive.

All of this we have to get finance, investments and water management right: across all scales, interests, geographies, and borders, inclusive and in partnership.

The Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands worked together with all of you. We became true partners in water, sharing the same values and representing the full water cycle; from source to sea. From the mountains, glaciers and mighty rivers in my beautiful home country Tajikistan, to the delta, the coast and the islands in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

We know that this conference in the mid term of the Water Action Decade is only the beginning!

All your commitments are registered in the Water Action Agenda, we will validate, and evaluate for scaling and replication as the backbone for the follow-up process.

The Water Action Agenda will have to get a concrete follow-up in the three key upcoming UN Summits: the SDG Summit 2023, the Summit of the Future 2024, and the World Social Summit 2025, and through the annual HLPF, COP’s and other UN processes and of course the Dushanbe Water Process. Availing this opportunity, I would like to invite you all to attend the next Dushanbe International Water Decade Conference to be held in 2024.

Thank you for being with us in NY, thank you for your collective partnership.

I’m more inspired today to take action on water. Together we can!