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| UN Water Conference | |
|---|---|
| Name | UN Water Conference |
| Date | 1977 (Primary) |
| Venue | United Nations Headquarters |
| Location | New York City |
| Organizers | United Nations, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations General Assembly |
| Participants | Member States of the United Nations, Non-governmental organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme |
| Outcome | Mar del Plata Action Plan, International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade |
UN Water Conference The 1977 UN Water Conference convened at United Nations Headquarters in New York City as a landmark international meeting that brought together representatives from Member States of the United Nations, Non-governmental organization, United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to address global freshwater shortages. The conference produced the Mar del Plata Action Plan and helped catalyze the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade and later influenced the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030). Delegates included ministers from countries such as United States, India, Brazil, Egypt, China, and France along with experts from World Bank, UNICEF, Food and Agriculture Organization, and regional bodies like African Union and European Union.
The conference arose from earlier diplomacy and technical processes including debates at the United Nations General Assembly, reports by the United Nations Environment Programme, and policy proposals from the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization that highlighted crises exemplified by droughts in Sahel and water scarcity in Middle East. Momentum followed from resolutions in sessions of the Economic and Social Council and guidance from the International Hydrological Decade and the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Leading governments, development banks like the World Bank and institutions such as United Nations Development Programme and International Monetary Fund engaged in preparatory committees and advisory panels composed of experts from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and national agencies like United States Agency for International Development and India Ministry of Water Resources.
The conference defined objectives to assess freshwater resources, promote access to drinking water, improve sanitation services, and prioritize water-related development consistent with resolutions from the United Nations General Assembly and the policy frameworks of World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization. Thematic plenaries addressed integrated water resource management advocated by scholars linked to International Water Management Institute and operational models promoted by World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Crosscutting themes linked water to public health initiatives spearheaded by UNICEF and World Health Organization, agriculture priorities coordinated with Food and Agriculture Organization, and urban planning agendas advanced by United Nations Human Settlements Programme and municipal authorities from Tokyo, Mexico City, Lagos, and São Paulo.
Delegates included cabinet-level ministers, ambassadors to the United Nations, technical experts from United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, representatives of Non-governmental organization federations like International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and CARE International, and private sector observers from multinational firms. The Bureau of the conference reflected geographic distribution from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean with chairing by experienced diplomats and technocrats affiliated with institutions such as United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Specialized sessions convened delegations from Small Island Developing States and river basin organizations like Nile Basin Initiative precursor groups and representatives of International Joint Commission-style transboundary governance bodies.
The conference’s principal written outcome was the Mar del Plata Action Plan, endorsed by participating Member States of the United Nations and promoted by United Nations Development Programme and World Health Organization as a blueprint for national and international action. The conference catalyzed consensus for the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade, built political backing among leaders from United States, India, Brazil, Egypt, and Mexico City municipal government for large-scale investment, and strengthened mandates for agencies like UNICEF and World Bank to finance and implement projects. Resolutions called for national water assessments, integrated planning measures drawing on methodologies from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and International Hydrological Programme, and technical cooperation via bilateral partners including Japan International Cooperation Agency and Overseas Development Administration.
Follow-up relied on programming by United Nations Development Programme, financing by World Bank and regional development banks such as the Inter-American Development Bank and African Development Bank, and operational campaigns by UNICEF and World Health Organization to expand water and sanitation services. Monitoring and evaluation frameworks drew on indicators later reflected in the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030), with reporting through the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and periodic reviews at the United Nations General Assembly. Technical cooperation involved institutions such as the International Water Management Institute, Global Water Partnership, and national ministries modeled on India Ministry of Water Resources or Brazilian Ministry of National Integration.
Critics from civil society groups, including activists associated with Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, and scholars tied to World Resources Institute and International Institute for Environment and Development argued that the conference prioritized infrastructure investment favored by the World Bank and donor states over community-led approaches endorsed by Non-governmental organization networks. Debates surfaced over financing mechanisms advocated by International Monetary Fund-aligned policy advisors and conditionalities associated with loans from World Bank and regional banks. Environmental scientists from International Union for Conservation of Nature and basin experts connected to the Nile Basin Initiative warned the plan underweighted ecosystem protection and transboundary rights in contexts like the Mekong River and Nile River basins.
The conference left a legacy by institutionalizing water as a priority in multilateral diplomacy, shaping subsequent instruments such as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade, informing targets in the Millennium Development Goals and later the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030), and spawning networks including the Global Water Partnership and strengthened roles for UNICEF, World Health Organization, and United Nations Development Programme. Its influence extended into transboundary water law discussions at forums like Helsinki Rules-informed negotiations and advisory processes within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and regional water diplomacy exemplified by the Indus Waters Treaty and basin commissions. Ongoing debates in institutions such as the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Environment Programme reflect tensions first surfaced at the conference between large-scale financing by entities like the World Bank and rights-based, community-centered approaches advanced by Non-governmental organization coalitions.