His Excellency Emmerson D Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe represented here by Honourable Oppah Muchuguri, Minister of Defense and War Veterans Affairs

Honourable Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Minister for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Zimbabwe

Honourable Minister of State for Provincial Affairs of Harare Metropolitan Province represented by T. Muguti

Senior Government Officials Present

Dr QU Dongyu FAO Director-General

Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water and ILO Director-General (who will address us via video message virtually)

Colleagues from the UN Family present

H.E. Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE), African Union Commission (AUC)

Members of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen:

From the outset, allow me to welcome you all to Zimbabwe as I would like to call the country the Promise of Africa and to our capital Harare -- the sunshine city.

I hope you will be able to spare some time to explore the city, the national arts gallery and other unique Zimbabwean crafts are not far from this venue.

I am honoured to join you this morning and share my welcoming remarks with you on behalf of the UN Country Team in Zimbabwe.

This Africa regional workshop to convened to draw national water roadmaps is critical and comes at an opportune time as the world is gearing to the UN Global Water Conference in March this year.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Water remains critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human survival itself.

Water will determine on how we will achieve internationally agreed goals and targets outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015?2030.

The UN Secretary-General's Plan on the Water Action Decade 2018-2028 recognizes water as being at the heart of these recent agreements.

Water is a dealmaker for the SDGs, and for the health and prosperity of people and planet. But our progress on water related goals and targets remains alarmingly off track, jeopardizing the entire sustainable development agenda.

A society can only achieve high rates of public health, food security and nutrition, gender equity, educational attainment, and economic productivity when all of its members enjoy their rights to water and sanitation.

I believe this workshop will facilitate in appreciating the critical and dire need for proper water harvesting and management.

Coming back to Zimbabwe, I would like to commendthepolitical commitment of the Government of Zimbabwe in addressing water supply, sanitation, and hygiene challenges.

To mention a few examples of recent Government of Zimbabwe's initiatives that come to mind include:

The infrastructure investment with the President's Rural Development Program, seeking to improve groundwater management and planning,

Investment in systems strengthening coordination (New sector working group)

Development of a WASH Financing Strategy and WASH Service Standards.

Government of Zimbabwe has demonstrated commitment to efficient water use by adopting:

Water saving irrigation systems like drip irrigation and center pivots.

Promoting integrated catchment management with multiple benefits for communities and the environment; and

Integration of water in national development strategy to achieve social, economic, and environmental objectives.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The United Nations Country Team in Zimbabwe supports the country to achieve the SDGs including its commitment on SDG 6 to provide safe and clean water for all.

The UN, through its entities such as UNICEF, for example, provided safe drinking water services to over 500,000 people in 2022 and, as co-chair of the national WASH Sector Working Group, supported the development of National Sanitation and Hygiene Policy.

In addition, in the same year, FAO supported sustainable irrigation including rehabilitation of six cyclone Idai affected irrigation schemes in Mutare, Chimanimani and Chipinge, reaching over 600,000 farmers with agro-ecology water efficient irrigation systems. Similarly, UNESCO, UNDP and WFP supported groundwater management, irrigation, and water provision to improve nutrition and build community resilience**.**

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I cannot overemphasize the need for a strong, coherent, and explicit integration, and prioritization of water into national sustainable development strategies, policies, and investment plans.

It is high time there is a deliberate effort by policy and decision makers to value and manage water in a holistic and integrated manner to strengthen the inter-sectoral coordination on sustainable water harvesting and management to accelerate progress on the SDGs.

In this regard, I would like to assure you that the United Nations remains commitment to support the Government of Zimbabwe in achieving concrete regional commitments on the road to UN 2023 Water Conference.

I would like to conclude my remarks with a message from the UN Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres, I quote: The UN 2023 Water Conference in March must result in a bold Water Action Agenda that gives our world's lifeblood the commitment it deserves. End of quote.

I believe the outcome of this workshop on national water roadmaps will contribute to a bold global water action agenda and strong commitment to nurture and preserve water for people and planet.

I wish you fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.

Source: UN Resident Coordinator for Zimbabwe