The Civil Society C20 Virtual Summit: Collective Action for Water Security urgently needed

6 October 2020 – For the C20 Summit, the World Water Council participated in the virtual panel discussion « In Dire Straits: the Need for Collective Action for Water Security » organized by the Civil Society Engagement Group C20, a G20 official engagement group.

President Loïc Fauchon together with UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed, IUCN Director General, Bruno Oberle, and other high-level panelists discussed practical solutions and recommendations to drive collective action towards water security. 

UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed opened the panel by calling upon all governments, all sectors of society to engage urgently for water, a key to life and to COVID 19 prevention. She further highlighted the important role of the civil society to play in achieving sustainable development goal related to water, SDG 6.

Water, as a crosscutting sector requires a wide mobilization from all stakeholders at each level, resources and obviously as a human right to water and sanitation for all including the most vulnerable, must be guaranteed by Constitutions. In this respect, Loïc Fauchon underlined that an effective collective action for water security leans on three pillars: innovation and knowledge sharing, blended finances, and honest governance. He also added that “world water security requires, first, political response because Water is Politics, and all citizens must join the political debate. We must talk about water everywhere, daily and at every platform”.

Discussions brought forward, among others, the fact that populations became disconnected from water and thus there was a need for a new ethical value based on lesser and mindful water use.  Acting collectively and responsibly for water security means to deliberately design the future of the entire planet. In this context, concrete examples and experiences encountered on the ground by all panelists provided practical suggestions and recommendations for common action.

The C20 Summit chaired by Saudi Arabia took place virtually from October 6 to 10, 2020. The Summit sessions’ outcomes were shared with the relevant G20 Sherpa and working Groups in order to channel civil society voices to influence the G20 agenda and decisional process.

Watch the video from the C20 Summit C20

Read the speech delivered by Loïc Fauchon - English version

Read the speech delivered by Loïc Fauchon - French version