World Water Day 2021 UN stresses awareness and the need for collective action to safeguard water resources in Iraq

We support any action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. Water sustains life, impacts on food sustainability, the environment, the economy, and even human security. As such, it is vital that we collectively safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.

On this day, we emphasize the need for collective action bringing together governments, businesses, NGOs, media and local communities. “Water is a fundamental basic need for human survival. Without water, there would be no life on earth. I can assure you that the UN family in Iraq is supporting initiatives that lead to improved water management in accordance with the Paris Agreement on climate change,” said the UN Resident Coordinator for Iraq, Irena Vojáčkova-Sollorano.

The theme in 2021 is “Valuing Water.” In Iraq, we raise awareness of increased water scarcity in agriculture as the main user of all water withdrawals (70 percent) due to: i) decrease in the availability of fresh surface water; ii) increase in-country population and individual water consumption; iii) evaporation in dams, water bodies, open irrigation canals, and soils; iv) increase in salinity, desertification and soil erosion; and v) environmental pollution.

The Government of Iraq, FAO, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (as the donor) are working together to support Iraq in its participation in the second phase of FAO’s inter-regional project on Monitoring Water Productivity using Remote Sensing (WaPOR). The five-year programme monitors water productivity through open-access of remotely sensed derived data, assists countries in monitoring water productivity, identifying water productivity gaps, proposing solutions to reduce these gaps and contributing to a sustainable increase of agricultural production. At the same time, it takes into account ecosystems and the equitable use of water resources, which eventually leads to an overall reduction of water stress.

Dr. Salah ElHajj Hassan, FAO Representative for Iraq, said that solid evidence is required to inform policy decisions towards achieving SDG 6. “Let us celebrate World Water Day together and give greater care to water utilization inside and outside of our homes,” he added.