The United Nations (U.N.) is set to launch its first major conference focusing on water-related issues in over 45 years.
A recent U.N. reveals that 26% of people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water.
- Over 100 ministers representing 171 countries will participate in the three-day 2023 U.N. Water Conference, which is set to start in New York City today.
- The UNESCO World Water Development Report 2023 shows that water use has increased by about 1% per year for the last 40 years.
- Water
use is expected to continue growing at a similar rate until 2050 due to
"a combination of population growth, socio-economic development, and
changing consumption patterns.”
- The report found that up to 3.5
billion people face periods of water stress at least once a month and
about 10% of the world's population live "in countries with high or
critical water stress.”
- It is expected to cost between $600B
and $1T per year to ensure that all people in the world have access to
clean water by 2030, according to Richard Connor, editor-in-chief of the
UNESCO report.
