Strengthening partnerships to promote water security
Karin Gardes (R), acting SIWI Executive Director with Dirk Meyer, BMZ Director General. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and SIWI signed an agreement to strengthen their partnership in promoting water security and a climate resilient development.
The two parties sign a Declaration of Intent (DoI) for closer cooperation to promote integrated, coordinated and innovative water governance solutions, and strengthen capacities at all levels.
Purpose of cooperation
Reflecting the partners’ shared objective to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular to promote water security (SDG 6), BMZ and SIWI agreed to intensify their long-standing cooperation.
To this end, both BMZ and SIWI acknowledge the pivotal role of water in achieving multiple SDGs and simultaneously addressing various climate crises by overcoming fragmented and siloed governance approaches.
The objective of the strategic cooperation is to promote water security and a (climate-) resilient development along three thematic pillars that are of strategic relevance for both BMZ and SIWI, namely:
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Global Health (including pandemic prevention and response);
- Water, food, energy and environment (WEFE) security nexus;
- Climate change and water
The signing of the DoI is an important step for SIWI in working towards improving water governance, and thus accelerating progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“SIWI is grateful for the strategic support from BMZ and we are looking forward to join our efforts for a just transition of societies towards a water and climate secure future.”
Dirk Meyer, BMZ Director General said:
“The new Declaration of Intent marks another milestone in deepening and expanding our long-standing and successful collaboration with SIWI. It is also thanks to SIWI’s engagement that increasing attention is being paid to the importance of water in the climate negotiations and that the issue of food and agriculture was given greater prominence at COP27. BMZ is also looking forward to deepen the cooperation on sustainable transformation of agricultural and food systems.”
