The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) called on countries to cooperate on issues related to water and sustainable development by unifying their efforts as well as the efforts of regional and international organisations, institutions, and research centres to work on developing and implementing policies and projects that employ innovation, modern technology, and renewable energies to address environmental challenges and water poverty.
This came in ISESCO's statement on Tuesday, marking the 2023 World Water Day that falls on March 22 each year. The 2023 World Water Day comes under the theme "Accelerating Change" to stress the importance of spreading awareness of the need for everyone to have access to safe drinking water and support Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.
The organisation stressed its commitment to supporting the programmes and initiatives that ensure the right of all groups to access safe and clean water and the governance of water resources to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water quality and management.
Statistics showed that more than two billion people around the world do not have access to potable water, while 4.2 billion people lack sanitation services, which highlights the paramount importance of water resource governance and the strengthening of sanitation infrastructure, especially in the context of the exacerbation of the repercussions of climate change on the water sector, as many countries suffer from water scarcity and recurrent drought.
ISESCO has launched a number of programmes that should contribute to improving water resources management in member states, among which comes its programme for water and sanitation services improvement in 1,000 rural schools in several Islamic countries.
On World Water Day, the Organisation continues to support member states again to invest in water management systems, sanitation, and public hygiene services, to achieve water security, ensure social and economic development, and achieve food security in the Islamic world.