Speech of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Netherlands at the EU event, WaterDome in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 3rd
Ladies and gentlemen,
Some people say that we are wasting money with these, what they call, "global talkshops". I am in fact amazed at how far we have come in the last 10 years and what we have achieved, right here at the WaterDome. Ten years ago, in Rio, water wasn't on the agenda -- and today it is right at the top. That in itself is an achievement, but it clearly is not enough. We also need to have clearly defined goals to measure our progress. The millennium development goal on drinking water access was a very important step in the right direction and I would like to congratulate all delegates here on the agreement reached here at WSSD to adopt a sanitation target. That is an important achievement! But I also remind you that these two goals - drinking water and sanitation - while critically important, are not enough. The world water crisis, after all, is not one of drinking water and sanitation. Achieving those goals has more to do with infrastructure and creating fair access than with water resources itself. The crisis in water resource development and management has more to do with water for producing energy and food. It has more to do with maintaining environmental quality and biodiversity. In short, with achieving water, food and environmental security simultaneously. I have therefore, in No Water No Future, proposed a third target focused on water for food production. I do hope that this will also become a formally adopted target. I am told that the two-co-chairs of the Task Force established to implement millennium development goals on water, Albert Wright and Roberto Lenton, do intend to interpret their mandate broadly and not limit their work to drinking water and sanitation only. The trend is, therefore, encouraging - but we still have work to do! So, we have achieved awareness, water is right at the top of the agenda, and there are some agreed goals. Let's now turn to action. This summit, both at Sandton and particularly here at the WaterDome has, I am proud to say, delivered a number of new initiatives that will be an important step in the direction of achieving the goals. The initiatives are very different in nature -- some focus on bringing new funds to the table, while others focus on a new way of doing business with each other. The agreement that South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique concluded here at the WaterDome on the Incomati river is a fine example of regional cooperation over water issues, and I salute these countries with their achievement that crowns nearly forty years of discussions. But I have also counted well over 200 million of new pledges, made, significantly, both in Euros and in US$. Over 200 million Euro of "new money" pledged here in Johannesburg for water initiatives with a heavy focus on Africa -- even without counting the EU initiative. These initiatives are an important achievement but, you could say, a mere drop in the bucket of the investments we need to achieve water security. We need to move, after all, from investments in the order of 70-80 billion Euro per year to at least double that. I do agree with that and I am therefore very pleased to speak here where we are celebrating the initiative of the EU that should help bring water to the over 100 million people in Africa that need it - for drinking as well as productive purposes. The European Commission shows that it is ready to be a key player in the water sector, and do this in a way that supports truly African initiatives: NEPAD, AMCOW and the African Water Facility. I would also like to see the European Commission play an increasing role in bringing together the EU member states around a coordinated, strong water agenda that responds to home-grown initiatives such as taken by African leaders. It would be wonderful if the countries in Asia and Latin-America could come together in a similar manner and establish their own version of AMCOW. I congratulate our hosts, the European Commission, together with their African partners. Well done -- we need to see many more initiatives of this scale and nature. The water sector is doing well, in other words, and has come together in an impressive way, right here at the WaterDome. However, we must not forget the crucial linkages between water and other sectors, however. As I have pointed out here before, we should recognize the major link between agriculture policy and water policy. It is our agriculture policy: agriculture subsidies, tariffs and international trade agreements that has a major impact on where food is grown and the water used to grow that food. As European consumers we first, as a result of our agriculture policy, have to pay more for our food, and then pay again to help the poor farmers in the South. Would it not make sense to help the farmers in developing countries help themselves? But, in closing, I do need to ask your attention for the work that remains. Whether we manage to solve the world water crisis, or can expect to see even more people to suffer from floods and droughts and lack of access to safe and reliable water, depends as much, or even more on, policies made outside the water sector such as agriculture and energy. I have pointed out in my speech here at the WaterDome last Friday, the crucial links between agriculture policy, agriculture subsidies, tariffs and international trade regimes in food and fiber. What we do in agriculture determines, to a large extent, where and how food is grown, and therefore where the water is used. Just remember that the food we enjoy at dinner tonight will have cost thousands of liters of water to produce for each and every one of us. I thank you.