The High Level Panel on Water
Australia’s appointment to the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW), co-convened by the United Nations and World Bank, demonstrates our recognised status as a leader in the sector, and provides a platform from which to do even more. The HLPW consists of 11 sitting Heads of State and Government and one Special Adviser, and has been convened to provide the leadership required to champion a comprehensive, inclusive and collaborative way of developing and managing water resources, and improving water and sanitation related services.
The core focus of the Panel is the commitment to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, as well as to contribute to the achievement of the other SDGs that rely on the development and management of water resources.
On 21 September 2016, the HLPW called for a fundamental shift in the way the world looks at water. The Panel issued an Action Plan for a new approach to water management that will help the world to achieve the 2030 agenda, including the 17 SDGs. The HLPW commits itself to take action on water and calls upon Heads of State and Government, and all people, to do the same. The Panel was announced by the co-conveners at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2016, and officially launched in April 2016 in New York. The Panel is a time-bound initiative, established for an initial period of two years.
Conclusion of the HLPW
The High Level Panel on Water outcomes package was presented to the United Nations Secretary-General and World Bank President in a ceremony in New York on 14 March 2018. HLPW co-chairs, Mauritius and Mexico, presented the Outcomes Report titled ‘Make Every Drop Count’ and an Open Letter from the HLPW.
“World leaders now recognize that we face a global water crisis and that we need to reassess how we value and manage water. The panel’s recommendations can help to safeguard water resources and make access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation a reality for all.”
For more information visit the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.