Delegates of India, Congo and Pakistan,
Water is essential for human life and health, as well as for economic activity and the preservation of the ecosystem. The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) include improved access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation as a target. This reflects that water is an extremely important element in achieving other MDGs such as eradication of poverty and hunger, health, education, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
While the proportion of the population using safe sources of drinking water in the developing world rose from 71% in 1990 to 79% in 2002, 1.1 billion people are still using water from unimproved sources. Particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, progress is slow, and high population growth is making the situation even more difficult.
On the other hand, while sanitation coverage in the developing world rose from 34% in 1990 to 49% in 2002, 2.6 billion people still lack toilets and other forms of improved sanitation.
Water-related disasters disproportionately affect developing countries and are increasing. Furthermore, it is predicted that the water shortage will aggravate structurally around the world due to such factors as population growth, economic development, urbanization, and climate change. As a result, there is a possibility that tensions may increase over water resources and water environment among nations and people who share water resources in rivers and aquifers.
Japan is willing to take all feasible measures to decrease the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and emphasizes that all Nations should come together to decrease or halt these number.