Doronshoeva Nekbakht Shoqosumovna
One of the main factors of development and improvement of economic, commercial, social and cultural life are considered water and water resources in every state, including independent Tajikistan.
It is not without reason that the Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, seriously emphasized the incomparable position and importance of drinking water: “Everyone should know that the value of water for the future sustainable development of the country and the region is no less than oil, gas, coal and other natural resources.” These meaningful words of the political leader of Tajikistan were sounded from the high rostrum of the UN many years ago.
It is known that about 750 million of people do not have access to clean drinking water in the world today and 2.5 billion do not have access to improved sanitation.
In his speech during a meeting with representatives of the country’s public, Emomali Rahmon, noted that every year, one million and 400 thousand children suffer from lack of clean drinking water alone, and every minute one newborn dies from infectious diseases related to the lack of clean water and clean environment. The total number of people on the planet died due to water shortages amounted 3 million and 400 thousand people and 31 percent of the world’s educational institutions do not have access to clean water.
In addition, more than 30 countries in the world today are engaged in political conflicts related to water and water resources, which is a cause for humanity concern.
In this regard, the proposal of Emomali Rahmon “Water for Sustainable Development – 2008-2028” from the UN rostrum was timely and was supported by most countries of the world and it once again raised the prestige and influence of the Tajik nation and state in the international arena.
It should be noted that the first initiative of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon was presented in October 1999 at the 54th Session of the UN General Assembly as declaring 2003 the “International Year of Clean Water” and was adopted by the UN Resolution at the 55th Session, under number A/RES/55/196, dated December 20, 2000.
Based on this UN Resolution, the International Forum on “Clean Water” was held in Dushanbe on August 29 to September 1, 2003, which provided favorable basis for further intensification of initiatives addressing water-related issues, in particular, the proclamation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life, 2005-2015”. This initiative was adopted by the UN at the 58th UN Session with Resolution number A/RES/58/217 of December 23, 2003 on the proclamation of 2005 as the Year of “Regional Cooperation in Transboundary River Basins”, which was held from May 30 to June 1, 2005 in Dushanbe, where the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, together with UN agencies, made significant contribution in the organization and holding.
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It is worth noting that on June 27-29, 2008 Dushanbe hosted the International Conference on Water-Related Disaster Reduction. UN Resolution A/RES/64/198 of 21 December 2009 at the 64th Session of the UN entitled “A Comprehensive Mid-Term Review of the Implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life, 2005-2015” was adopted, and on 8-10 June 2010, a High-Level International Conference on the Comprehensive Mid-Term Review of the Implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life, 2005-2015” was held in Dushanbe.
Another proposal which was made at the 5th International Water Conference in Istanbul declaring the “International Year of Water Cooperation”, was also supported by the international community and adopted by the UN Resolution number A/RES/65/154 of 20 December 2010 on declaring 2013 the “International Year of Water Cooperation”.
The International Preparatory Conference “On the Road to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20) on Water Cooperation” was held in Dushanbe on 19-20 October 2011.
The international community, in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution number, A/RES/67/204 of 21 December 2012, sponsored by Tajikistan in 2013, declared the International Year of Water Cooperation. The opening ceremony of the International Year of Water Cooperation was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 11 February 2013. In the same year, on August 27-29, a High-Level International Conference on Water Cooperation was held in Dushanbe.
In the light of the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/215 of December 19, 2013, the International Decade for Action “Water for Life – 2005-2015” and further efforts to achieve sustainable development of water resources, from June 9 to 11, 2015, a High-Level International Conference on the Conclusion of the Implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life, 2005-2015” was held in Dushanbe. In the same year, from August 9 to 16, a High-Level International Symposium on the Sixth Sustainable Development Goal “Ensure Universal Access to Water and Sanitation” was held in Dushanbe.
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The UN Resolution A/RES/71/222 of 21 December 2016 was proclaimed by the 71st General Assembly under the title of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”, and in March 2018, the implementation of the new initiative of the President of the country – the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” began. As it is well known, the initiative of proclaiming the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” was first put forward by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, during the 7th World Water Forum in the Republic of Korea.
At the same time, the Resolution of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly of 11.01.2019 under number A/RES/73/226 (Mid-term comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”) and the Resolution of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly of 21.12.2020, under number A/RES/75/212 (United Nations Conference on the Mid-term Review of the Goals of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”) are being adopted and implemented.
In accordance with this Resolution, in the period 2018-2028 the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” has been declared, which will begin on March 22, 2018 and end on March 22, 2028, and March 22 is announced as World Water Day.
Emomali Rahmon stated in his speech on the sidelines of the “Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27)”: “As part of our efforts to prepare for the United Nations Water Conference, which will be held in March 2023 under the chairmanship of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, we have proposed the water-climate nexus as one of the main themes of the Conference. We also adopted at the Second Dushanbe Conference on the Water Decade, draft Water Action Agenda, which should bring together commitments and actions within the framework of next year’s Conference. I am confident that the Member States of the United Nations and all stakeholders will support us in the implementation of this great responsibility through active participation, commitment and acceleration of actions”.
June 10-13, 2024 The Third High-Level Dushanbe Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028,” was successfully held in Dushanbe from
Thus, the issue of water for sustainable development and improvement of the lives of the peoples of the world has become one of the problems of the international level today, attracting the attention of researchers and scientists. In particular, the initiatives of Emomali Rahmon in this direction have once again given serious impetus to the political awareness of the peoples of the world, which is considered a real success in the development of humanity.
Water is life, livelihood, wealth and existence of menkind and all plants and animals on Earth, which today we must mobilize all our efforts and keep it clean and transparent, and to be able to preserve and protect it as a fundamental value. The issue of water for sustainable development is currently taking on an economic and political character and can affect other areas of life.
Therefore, rational attitude to drinking water is the attitude to human life and well-being, which should always be cause for concern and respect.
Doronshoeva Nekbakht Shoqosumovna is Candidate of Political Science, Head of the USA and Canada Department at the Institute of Asian and European Studies, NAST.
