WHO에 따르면 세계 인구의 절반 이상이 현재 도시에 거주하고 있으며, 이러한 현상은 지속적으로 증가할 것으로 보인다. 특히, 덜 개발된 지역에서 더욱 두드러지게 나타날 것으로 보인다. 그러므로 도시에 안전한 물과 위생시설을 공급하는 것은 미래의 인류, 경제, 환경적 번영에 대한 지속가능성을 보존하는 중요한 열쇠가 될 것이다.

 

이에 따라 지난 28일 여섯 개의 조직이 이러한 이슈를 논의하기 위해 힘을 합쳤다.

 

 

 

 As indicated by the United Nation's (UN) World Health Organization, over half of the world's population now lives in cities, and this figure will continue to grow, especially in less developed regions. Therefore, delivering safe water and sanitation in cities will be key to securing sustainability for human, economic and environmental prosperity in the future. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, six organizations joined forces to tackle this issue.

 

Through the signature of a Partnership Agreement, UN-Habitat's Global Water Operators' Partnership Alliance; ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability; United Cities and Local Governments; Daegu Gyeongbuk Development Institute; National Committee for the 7th World Water Forum; and World Water Council have all collaborated to address the important role that local and regional authorities and operators play in managing and providing water and sanitation for their populations while safeguarding water resources, as well as to support cities in rising to this challenge.

 

The Partnership Agreement will serve as an important stepping stone for the preparation and organization of the Local and Regional Authorities Conference of the 7th World Water Forum, which will take place on April 12-17 in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea, as well as at the Habitat III conference on housing and sustainable urban development in 2016. Further, the partnership will allow for greater mobilization of local and regional authorities and water operators and will help make their voices heard in the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The objectives of this partnership include: to propose a roadmap for local and regional authorities to reach quantitative and qualitative objectives for water and sanitation with the Istanbul Water Consensus; support cities worldwide in their commitments to facilitate access to basic services; and promote the definition and the implementation of local water policies.

 

[출처 = Water World / 2014년 11월 3일]