The G20 Water Platform was officially launched during the second G20 Dialogue on Water, organized by Italy’s G20 presidency on September 29. Implemented by Saudi Arabia, the Water Platform is a digital instrument to share experiences on sustainable water management across the globe.
The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli, said: “I am very pleased today to share with you the G20 Water Platform as an effective tool for sharing G20 best practices in water management with the rest of the world,” reports Arab News.
The first G20 Water Dialogue took place in 2020, during Saudi Arabia’s G20 presidency. As a result, G20 countries agreed to have a dialogue on water every year and share the outcomes on a digital platform, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia for the first five years.
The G20 2020 Leaders' Declaration included, for the first time, a full paragraph on water: "We acknowledge that affordable, reliable, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services are essential for human life and that access to clean water is critical to overcome the pandemic. We welcome the G20 Dialogue on Water as a basis to share best practices and promote innovation, and new technologies, on a voluntary basis, that will foster sustainable, resilient, and integrated water management".
Saudi Arabia considers water availability as a key for socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, human health and well-being. Deputy Minister for Water Affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulaziz Alshaibani, told reporters: “We believe that the various water-related issues and the pressing challenges for many countries such as scarcity, pollution and floods deserve a dedicated working group to address them.” He said Saudi Arabia will continue to work with the next G20 host countries to maintain the annual water dialogue and a working group dedicated to water issues.
