‘Water for Peace’ - World Water Day 2024
Leveraging water for peace - What does this mean?
Because water has become the next commodity on the economic scale, garnering huge profits for countries, organizations, and industries, it is now also a source of conflict across borders. On this day of remembrance and celebration for the sacred gift of water, a human right for all, we cry out against its misuse and abuse.
153 countries share water basins, yet only 24 of these countries have cooperation agreements. Water scarcity is increasing because of overuse and climate crisis. Water and its infrastructures have become targets and weapons of war.
The United Nations’ theme for World Water Day, March 22, 2024, is Leveraging Water for Peace. Check out the information provided in this UN Factsheet World Water Day | United Nations where water is proclaimed as a tool for peace.
At the UN Water Convention in 2023 some tools for peace were cited:
• At the community level: bring together different water users around a common cause providing an entry point for dialogue, reconciliation, and peacebuilding.
Might I suggest that this is what active Canadians did in creating a dialogue with government over the privatization of water.
• At the national level: provide a starting point for coordination across interests.
• At the transboundary level: provide a starting point for communication and broader cooperation. For example, out of approximately 400 internationally shared aquifers there are only 5 where international agreements exist.
An integrated and inclusive approach suggests that “Water can be a catalyst for peace at all governance levels. Water cooperation across borders and sectors will speed up progress across Sustainable Development Goals, including delivering safe drinking water and sanitation, enhancing food security, sustaining healthy livelihoods and ecosystems, helping to address resilience to climate change, contributing to disaster risk reduction, providing renewable energy, supporting cities and industry, and fostering regional integration and peace.” [i]
Knowing the facts awakens us to a path forward. Let’s keep alert to places where power and control of water resources and infrastructure sever relationships and use our voices to leverage equality and bring peace.
-Sister Loretta Manzara, CSJ
[i] UNECE and UNESCO (2023), Concept paper for interactive dialogue 4 at the UN 2023 Water Conference: Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation, including Scientific Cooperation, and Water across the 2030 Agenda: https;//sdgs.um.org/conferences/watr2023/events/interactive-dialogue-4.
