24th March 2023: FAO Side Event "Disaggregation of the SDG indicator 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by river basin" at the UN 2023 Water Conference
Friday, 24 March 2023 | New York, USA

Deputy Director of Land and Water Division at FAO, Sasha Koo-Oshima,
Brazil Representative, Felipe De Sa Tavares
Italy Representative, Martina Bussettini
Stockholm Environment Institute Representative, Annette Huber-lee
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning to you all!

Let me, first of all, welcome everybody to this side event to discuss disaggregating water stress by river basin, and learn about innovative methods for water management and policy.

Thank you for taking time to be with us today, we are very grateful.
 
I thank FAO for supporting the implementation of pilot projects on the disaggregation of the SDG Indicator 6.4.2 utilising the river basin method in our respective countries.

The method provides an innovative contribution to the sustainable use of water at the catchment level by providing a finer view of both the causes and effects of water stress, allowing policy and decision-makers to target interventions at catchments with high water stress.
 
This is in line with the 2023 World Water Day campaign focused on accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.

The latest global data show that governments must work on average four times faster to meet SDG 6 on time.

Rwanda is glad to be utilising this innovative method to support our strategic water resource management plans, and achieve SDG6.

Based on current trends, water stress in Rwanda is expected to increase as the country develops economically and our population continues to grow and becomes more urbanised.

That is why we need to put in place the right measures to ensure water is used efficiently.

I can assure you that the outputs of our disaggregation of SDG indicator 6.4.2 by river basin will be integrated into our institution’s plans, and I am confident this approach will have a lasting impact on Rwanda’s ability to be resilient in the face of climate change.

As we discuss innovation today, I encourage all partners here today to collaborate on additional projects and initiatives that can accelerate the change we want to see.

I thank you and wish you a pleasant session.