Reimagining International Relations: Takeaways from the UN Water Conference 2023
By Aarushi Aggarwal
The UN Water Conference 2023 was a surprise on many accounts. The most obvious surprise is that this was the first such conference in 46 years. Given human dependence on water, this appears to be a striking blindness that gives weight to a sentiment shared by H.E. Mr. Ursell Arends, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Integrity, Nature and Senior Affairs of Aruba: “the ubiquity of available water inspires in us a false sense of security.” In light of the global and local issues highlighted over three days of the conference, it is apparent to me that any water-related sense of security is indeed unfounded.
Aarushi Aggarwal at the UN Water Conference
My second surprise was witnessing unexpected leadership in enabling global action on water. While plenaries and interactive dialogues are key UN processes, they were slow where few countries shared examples of successful policies or interventions. However, country-led side events I attended, including A Linchpin for Global Resilience: Water security, especially drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, for climate resilience, food security, economic growth, global health, and gender co-hosted by Bangladesh and the US along with other multilateral bodies; Water, Peace, and Security in Africa co-hosted by Finland, African Union Commission, Switzerland, Senegal; Water for Peace: From Source to Sea hosted by Bangladesh; Islands for Sustainability - Delivering SDG6 in Small Island States hosted by the Energy and Water Agency of Malta; helped me realize that international action for water is shaped by countries like Bangladesh—home to a unique source to sea ecosystem—several sub-Saharan African countries like Senegal, Niger, and Mali, and small islands and small island states. I had previously never made a distinction between small islands and small island states. Thanks to the enthusiastic delegate from Martinique, I learned how the lack of autonomy, for an island like Martinique, impacts its ability to take independent action towards addressing climate and water related challenges, without relying on its distant national treasury. Communities also have to be answerable to public officials responsible for allocating funds who do not always understand the island’s unique challenges.
Such side events forced an elemental shift in my personal understanding of international relations as dominated by countries with military and economic might. I witnessed the leadership exhibited by developing countries who are often at the forefront of addressing water challenges, and whose leadership at international fora is forcing the international needle towards positive action. For example, Senegal’s investment in using water for conflict aversion in its neighborhood, Bangladesh’s foreign policy goals centered on climate and water, and Malta’s successful deployment of a water management toolbox that ensures its population access to clean and safe drinking water. Not only is developing countries’ demand for greater finance inspiring a global recognition of oncoming challenges, but their frugal innovation, channeling of local and indigenous solutions, and championing of nature-based solutions are actively informing water action in other countries.
In global climate conversations, there is an increasing focus on redefining investments in climate action. At the same time, there is an acknowledgement of the need to de-risk investments and make them more financially tenable for investors. Therefore, I appreciated a fundamental financial change that Annemieke Nijhof, the general manager of Deltares, an independent institute for applied research, espoused: that a successful return on investment does not always have to be monetary; human value should be a metric in assessing returns on investments. We have collectively pushed the limits of the earth’s ecosystem balance, and in this climate-altered world, it bodes well for us to accept Ms. Nijhof's new definition and what it underlines: growth cannot be limitless on a planet with limited resources.
As we adopt the ecosystem based approaches, hyper-localize climate solutions, and integrate climate needs in economic decision making that many conference speakers touched upon, I believe this reassessment of what entails a successful investment will be indispensable. The freedom from maximizing monetary returns will de-risk investments and allow investors to pursue non-traditional projects, opening the space for adaptation efforts that have historically been underfunded. However, I recognize that such a shift demands an acute intellectual reframing of society and may be generational in temporal scope.
Aarushi Aggarwal is a MALD candidate at the Fletcher School.