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UNESCO unveils the key takeaways from the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater
The first-ever UN-Water Summit on Groundwater was held from on 6-8 December 2022, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The summit marked the culmination of a year-long global campaign for groundwater, with both World Water Day 2022 and the World Water Development Report 2022 dedicated to this vital resource.
The Summit placed the spotlight on groundwater at the highest international and political level. With guidance from the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) Global Acceleration Framework, the summit facilitated crucial partnerships and identified actions toward a more responsible and sustainable use and protection of this vital natural resource.
The Summit served as a rallying call for global events such as the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York (22-24 March 2023), the UN SDG Summit (18-19 September 2023), and the 10th World Water Forum in 2024 in Bali, Indonesia (18-24 May 2024) to prioritize groundwater. By setting a clear marker, the Summit reinforced the need for sustained international attention and collective action towards preserving this invisible but crucial resource.
At the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, as a follow up of the Summit, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa led the organization of the side event “Groundwater: an Invisible Cross-Sectoral Fundament for Implementation of the Water Action Agenda” in collaboration with UNESCO. The side event reminded major stakeholders of the need for them to commit to concrete action across the globe and across sectors.
