9th World Water Forum ended in Dakar with highlights water access, sanitation

The 9th World Water Forum with the theme “Water security for peace and development”, which started on March 21 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, ended on Saturday, March 26.

Notable for a “Blue Deal” declaration calling for access to water and sanitation for all, the forum focused on water security for peace and development.

Organized by the World Water Council, the forum was held for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa.
Thousands of people attended the forum. World Water Council President Loic Fauchon, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zevde, Mauritanian President Muhammed Veled Gazvani, Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Gambian President Isatou Tourey, and World Bank President David Malpass made speeches at various panels in the forum.

With global warming, scarcity of water resources and environmental degradation continue to worsen. Two out of five people live in an area where water is scarce.
Macky Sall, President of Senegal, reminded that the forum was held in Morocco for the first time in 1997, and stated that he was happy to be hosted by an African country 25 years later.

Sharing data from the water report published by the United Nations in March 2021, Sall said, “2 out of 5 people in the world live in areas with limited access to water. Women and girls spend 200 million hours every day to find water. More than 2 billion people consume polluted water. “The right to access water should be protected by the constitution,” he said.

In a statement presented by Senegal, the forum ended with a call to ensure the right of access to water and sanitation for all.