S/PV.7818 Maintenance of International Peace and Security 22/11/2016
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United Nations S/ PV.7818 Security Council Provisional Seventy-first year 7818th meeting Tuesday, 22 November 2016, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Ndiaye/Mr. Seck/Mr. Ciss ...................... (Senegal) Members: Angola. Mr. Gaspar Martins China ......................................... Mr. Liu Jieyi Egypt ......................................... Mr. Aboulatta France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Japan ......................................... Mr. Bessho Malaysia ...................................... Mr. Ibrahim New Zealand ................................... Mr. Van Bohemen Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Iliichev Spain ......................................... Mr. González de Linares Palou Ukraine ....................................... Mr. Yelchen ko United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Rycroft United States of America .......................... Ms. Coleman Uruguay ....................................... Mr. Rosselli Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) ................... Mr. Suárez Moreno Agenda Maintenance of international peace and security Water, peace and security Letter dated 14 November 2016 from the Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2016/969) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 16-39680 (E) *1639680* S/PV.7818 Maintenance of international peace and security 22/11/2016 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2016/969, which contains a letter dated Adoption of the agenda 14 November 2016 from the Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations addressed to the The agenda was adopted. Secretary-General, transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration. Maintenance of international peace and security I wish to warmly welcome the Secretary-General, Water, peace and security Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and give him the floor. Letter dated 14 November 2016 from the The Secretary-General (spoke in French): I Permanent Representative of Senegal thank the Senegalese presidency and His Excellency to the United Nations addressed to the Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye Minister for Foreign Affairs of Secretary-General (S/2016/969) Senegal for having organized this debate at a crucial The President (spoke in French): In accordance with moment. rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, By 2050, at least one in four human beings will live I invite the representatives of Argentina, Australia, in a country where the lack of fresh water is chronic Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, or recurrent. Climate change will only aggravate these Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, difficulties, especially in basins shared by several Djibouti, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, countries. It is particularly important to coordinate Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic water management for the more than 260 international of Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, watercourses and transboundary aquifers, which are at Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, least as numerous. Palau, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, (spoke in English) South Africa, the Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Uganda and Viet Nam Access to water can exacerbate communal to participate in this meeting. tensions. Competition for scarce water resources in Darfur and Afghanistan has contributed to tensions. In In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s Peru, the extractive industries’ impact on water is the provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following most common driver of protests and violence against briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Danilo companies by local communities. Türk, Chair of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace; Ms. Christine Beerli, Vice-President of Armed conflicts can themselves affect access the International Committee of the Red Cross; and to clean water, for example through the deliberate Mr. Sundeep Waslekar, President of Strategic Foresight destruction of water facilities, attacks against power Group. plants that provide water supplies, and the collapse of water treatment and sewage systems. These impacts In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s are often compounded by the breakdown in water provisional rules of procedure, I invite Ms. Joanne governance and delivery networks that typically Adamson, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the occurs during conflicts. Air strikes against water and European Union to the United Nations, to participate electrical facilities in Syria, and the contamination of in this meeting. groundwater resources in Gaza, are further examples I propose that the Council invite the Permanent of the negative impact of armed conflict on water. We Observer of the Observer State of the Holy See to have also seen warring parties seek to control dams the United Nations, to participate in the meeting, in and dikes. Controlling strategic dams on the Tigris accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and and Euphrates rivers has been at the centre of military operations carried out in Syria and Iraq by the Islamic the previous practice in this regard. State in Iraq and the Levant. There being no objection, it is so decided. Despite these serious challenges, we must also The Security Council will now begin its consideration recognize the potential for cooperation around shared of the item on its agenda. water resources. Three-quarters of United Nations 2/78 16-39680 22/11/2016 Maintenance of international peace and security S/PV.7818 Member States share rivers or lake basins with directly addressed within peace agreements, as we saw, their neighbours. Shared water has historically, and for example, with the Darfur peace process. sometimes rather improbably, brought adversaries (spoke in French) together and served as a crucial confidence-building measure in both inter-State and intra-State conflicts. To mobilize concerted diplomatic action, the In the second half of the twentieth century, more President of the World Bank Group and I convened than 200 water treaties were successfully negotiated. the Global High-Level Panel on Water. This initiative International river agreements have enhanced security promotes the global and cooperative development and and stability in river basins. The 1960 Indus Waters management of water resources, to which Senegal’s Treaty between India and Pakistan has famously contribution has been crucial. I encourage Council survived at least two wars and numerous clashes and members to find ways to support the implementation of diplomatic crises. In the Nile Basin, last year’s signing the Group’s recently adopted action plan. of a declaration of principles by the Governments of (spoke in English) Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan, followed more recently by various formal and informal dialogues, has been Water challenges affect us all. Let us use this a vital confidence-building measure. And in the Security Council meeting to highlight the value of Senegal River basin, riparian States — including Mali, water as a reason for cooperation, not conflict. And let Mauritania and Senegal — have had a long history of us commit to investing in water security as a means to benefit-sharing, providing a cornerstone for regional ensure long-term international peace and security. stability and peace. The President (spoke in French): I thank the Secretary-General for his briefing. The United Nations has actively promoted the potential of water for cooperation. The work of I now give the floor to Mr. Türk. the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Mr. Türk (spoke in French): Today, the Security Diplomacy for Central Asia on hydro-diplomacy is Council is meeting, for the first time in its history, to one notable example. The Centre uses its good offices, debate the issues of water, peace and security. It is a convening power, analytical capacity and partnerships great honour to be able to address the Council as Chair with regional organizations to promote dialogue and of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace. build trust. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Convention on the Protection and Use of It is very important that this discussion be being led Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes by you, Sir, and by Senegal, a country that has developed strengthens transboundary water cooperation and an effective model of active and peaceful cooperation sound water management. It is now open for accession with its neighbouring countries, particularly in the to all United Nations Member States, offering the field of transboundary cooperation on water. I pay opportunity to create a global framework for dealing tribute to Senegal and to Mr. Léopold Senghor, its with transboundary water issues. late President, who several decades ago persuaded the Heads of State of Guinea,