The UAE Government has published a detailed discussion paper that calls for a decisive and coordinated international response to the urgent threat of global water scarcity. Entitled ‘Ripple Effect Water Scarcity – The hidden threat to global security and prosperity’, the discussion paper examines global water scarcity and its main causes, highlights various implications of water scarcity already evident in parts of the world, and identifies a range of potential solutions to this rapidly worsening issue.
Published by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the discussion paper is intended to serve as a global call to action and an open invitation to members of the international community to work together in new ways to address the emerging challenge of global water scarcity.
Announcing the publication of the report, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: "Concerned by the growing problem of water scarcity and the severe risks that it poses to the world, the United Arab Emirates has published a discussion paper today that aims to contribute to the development of a coordinated international response to this issue, and the forging of new models for effective cooperation to address this multifaceted threat to global security and prosperity."
The discussion paper stresses that according to certain metrics, four billion people around the world currently experience water scarcity at least one month per year, with this figure expected to grow in the years ahead. It also warns that based on current trends, global water scarcity is projected to have a range of negative implications, including loss of life, food insecurity, economic underdevelopment, humanitarian crises, involuntary migration, geopolitical instability and the potential for armed conflict. Despite these potential scenarios, the discussion paper finds that global water scarcity does not currently receive the same levels of public attention and financial investment as other comparable risks such as climate change and future pandemics, thereby hampering the development of effective solutions.
تقود دولة الإمارات مبادرة دولية حاسمة و منسقة للتهديد الملح المتمثل في ندرة المياه العالمية على هامش الدورة الـ78 للجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة.https://t.co/YLDLhN0lvz
— عبدالله بن زايد (@ABZayed) September 24, 2023
