New York, 22 March 2023:
“To implement the water action agenda under Sustainable Development Goals, we call upon
the development partners and international financial institutions to enhance the international financial
support to the countries in need” –Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP said today while
speaking at the general debate of the UN 2023 Water Conference at the UN Headquarters. This is the
first UN Water Conference which aims to mobilize global support to take concerted action to achieve
the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Referring to the national policies of Bangladesh on UN water action agenda, Foreign Minister
stated that Bangladesh attaches high importance to sustainable management of its water resources in
order to support its long-term development plan. He said, “under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, our government has initiated a 100-year plan titled ‘Bangladesh Delta
Plan-2100’ and formulated ‘Bangladesh Water Act 2013’ for building a resilient delta through sound
integrated water resources management (IWRM).
In his remarks, Foreign Minister particularly expressed his concern over the limited
international financing available for water related climate adaptation. In this regard, he urged the
global community to step up efforts for enhanced international financing for sustainable water
management including adaptation financing.
The Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, features an
opening and closing ceremony, six plenary meetings and five multi-stakeholder interactive dialogues.
Foreign Minister delivered keynote in interactive dialogue-2 entitled “Water for Sustainable
Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus, and Sustainable Economic and Urban
Development” and opening statement in another side event entitled “Water Solutions for Climate
Adaptation: Lessons to Scale up Impactful Delivery” organized by the Global Center on Adaptation,
Government of the Netherlands and African Development Bank.