UN / AFRICA WATER PEACE SECURITY
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STORY: UN / AFRICA WATER PEACE SECURITY
TRT: 02:20
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. Wide shot, dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), African Union (AU):
“The strategic importance of water the primary and secondary source of economic development on a continent, places it in the frontline of national interest, given the need, that water can be a veritable tool for both economic growth and stability.”
5. Wide shot, dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), African Union (AU):
“The reduction of water availability has led to manipulation of water to attain multi-dimensional interests, sometimes leading to conflicts at various levels, especially at the community level. It is in this recognition of water scarcity and competition as a security issue that resulted in the establishment of the African Ministerial Conference on Water in 2002.”
7. Wide shot, dais
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Johanna Sumuvuori, State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland:
“Water diplomacy, as a dynamic, politically oriented process, complements transboundary cooperation, providing means to prevent and resolve water related tensions. Finland stands ready to cooperate and offer our support and expertise in water peace and security theme and in the capacity-building services as well.”
9. Wide shot, dais
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General, Ambassador, Head of Thematic Cooperation Division, Switzerland:
“Water diplomacy and transboundary water cooperation are of course essential if we want to avoid that dwindling natural resources, exacerbated by a high degree of natural climatic variability and the impact of climate change fuel additional conflicts on the continent. This is reinforced by the fact that demand for water is on steep rise, especially for food, energy, and household uses. And there's a large remaining number of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation both in rural and urban areas of the continent.”
11. Wide shot, dais
On the margins of the United Nations 2023 Water conference today (22 Mar) an African Union (AU) official said, “the strategic importance” of water “places it in the frontline of national interest,” and can be “a veritable tool for both economic growth and stability.”
Bankole Adeoye from Nigeria, who is the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), said, “the reduction of water availability has led to manipulation of water to attain multi-dimensional interests, sometimes leading to conflicts at various levels, especially at the community level.”
Adeoye, who was addressing a discussion on “Water, Peace, and Security in Africa,” noted that it was in recognition of “water scarcity and competition as a security issue” that resulted in the establishment of the African Ministerial Conference on Water in 2002.
The event aimed to highlight how water cooperation can be used to enhance peace and security, as well as identify key opportunities, challenges and lessons-learnt from African countries.
It was organized by Finland, the African Union Commission, Switzerland, and Senegal.
The State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Johanna Sumuvuori, told the meeting that “water diplomacy, as a dynamic, politically oriented process, complements transboundary cooperation, providing means to prevent and resolve water related tensions.”
Finland, Sumuvuori said, “stands ready to cooperate and offer our support and expertise in water peace and security theme and in the capacity-building services as well.”
For his part the Assistant Director General and Head of the Thematic Cooperation Division of Switzerland, Ambassador Christian Frutiger said, “water diplomacy and transboundary water cooperation are of course essential if we want to avoid that dwindling natural resources, exacerbated by a high degree of natural climatic variability and the impact of climate change fuel additional conflicts on the continent.”
This was reinforced, he said, “by the fact that demand for water is on steep rise, especially for food, energy, and household uses” as well as “a large remaining number of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation both in rural and urban areas of the continent.”
Also today, Ministers from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East have declared their country’s resolve to join a key United Nations accord known as the Water Convention.