June 2023 -> Rallying on Water Security
PRP Technical Working Group to develop regional engagement strategy on water security.
Water security refers to the maintaining of safe and sustainable access to clean and safe water throughout all conditions, while ensuring protection against the water-related impacts of disasters and climate change.
In the Pacific, communities continue to endure some of the lowest levels of access to safe water in the world and remain disproportionately affected by the water-related impacts of disasters and climate change - including floods and drought.
Furthermore, there is not enough dialogue around water security concerns, and how water security is a critical component of Pacific resilience.
To respond to these challenges as a region, the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) has established a Water Security Technical Working Group,tasked with developing a regional engagement strategy to increase awareness and action on water security as a key resilience issue for the Pacific.
Formed following the Call to Action from the 2019 Pacific High-Level Dialogue on Water and Sanitation to accelerate action to support the basic water and sanitation needs of our region’s most vulnerable, the group will gather insights on increasing collaboration across sectors, to ensure equitable access to water resources and to protect and manage these resources sustainably.
The WSTWG has a diverse membership comprising representatives from governments, international and regional non-government organisations, development partners, donors, civil society, media, water utilities, and academia.
The group has its third meeting next week (July 4th), to discuss opportunities to engage Pacific citizens and leaders in stimulating conversations about important issues related to ensuring access to safe and reliable water and the need for regional actions.
The interim working group chair shared: “It is wonderful to have so many passionate people working together towards this important goal. The strategy will inform Pacific leaders on ways to strengthen engagement and action on water security, reaffirming the regional commitment to finding solutions to one of the biggest challenges facing our Pacific”.
Members of the TWG also discuss ways to integrate dialogue on water security into the upcoming third Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM), which will be held from 11- 13 October. Water security will be a key theme at the PRM, which draws guidance from the Framework of Resilience Development in the Pacific (FRDP).
About the WSTWG:
The PRP Water Security Technical Working Group commenced on 7th February 2023, with meetings every two months.
Coordinator contact: Mary Alalo, marya@spc.int
