New York – United States, March 22, 2023 – Representatives from Spain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Chile, the United States of America, and France participated in a moderated panel discussion on stepping up the role of non-conventional resources as key assets for achieving water security and impulse research, capacity building, and implementation initiatives.
Spain is a country with intense droughts and high-water demand for agriculture. Therefore, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge supports unconventional water resources to adapt to this natural risk, which is estimated to become more intense and frequent due to climate change. In this context, they are supporting events such as this one to join forces around desalination and water reuse to adapt and mitigate climate change and achieve SDG 6 worldwide.
Carlos Cosin, Former President of the International Desalination and Reuse Association, stated, “On behalf of the IDRA, it was my pleasure to moderate this important discussion. We are at a critical moment where global water security is threatened. We must act now; desalination and water reuse assets are crucial for achieving water security. It is important to highlight that achieving SDG6 is crucial for attaining other water-related targets in the SDGs, such as SDG 1 on ending poverty, SDG 2 on achieving food security, SDG 3 on ensuring healthy lives and well-being, SDG 7 on accessing affordable and sustainable energy for all, and SDG 10 on reducing inequalities within and among countries, to name a few. Improved quality water supplies via non-conventional water resources support the achievement of these SDGs”.
“The International Desalination and Reuse Association is grateful to all high-level participants for sharing their knowledge and experience around unconventional resources and water security. IDRA is fully committed to informing the public about desalination and water reuse and the critical role these solutions provide for new, reliable, sustainable freshwater sources worldwide,” said Ms. Shannon McCarthy, IDRA Secretary General.
About the International Desalination and Reuse Association
The International Desalination and Reuse Association, established in 1973, is the point of connection for the global desalination and water reuse community. A non-profit association, IDRA serves members in more than 60 countries and reaches an additional 15 affiliate member organizations, both regional and national. Its membership comprises scientists, developers, off-takers, regulators, end-users, engineers, consultants, media, and researchers from governments, corporations, and academia. The IDRA works to promote water scarcity solutions as an NGO with recognized consultative status by the United Nations ECOSOC, and a member of the UN-Water Special Framework for Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) hosted by the UN FAO Land and Water Division.
About the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing the government policy in the fight against climate change, prevention of pollution, protecting the natural heritage, biodiversity, forests, sea, water, and energy for a more ecological and productive social model. Likewise, it is responsible for elaborating and developing the government policy against the country’s demographic challenges (population aging, territorial depopulation, floating population effects, etc.)