THE Philippines, through Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, has committed before delegates of other countries to implement the global water resiliency agenda discussed during the 2023 United Nations (UN) water conference in New York City.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, the DENR chief promised to accelerate action towards attaining universal, adequate, affordable and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. designated Loyzaga to head a Philippine delegation representing the country in the global water conference.

The Philippine team was composed of officials from the DENR, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Local Water Utilities Administration, National Housing Authority, and Department of Health.

According to Loyzaga, the Philippines on orders of President Marcos Jr., has committed to enact the global water sector resilience agenda through engineering solutions that address physical risks, not to mention the ecological, socioecocomic and governance challenges.

“Today, we stand ready to commit to a global water sector resilience agenda that ensures reliable and equitable access to safe water, sanitation, improved health and gender equality,” Loyzaga said told attendees of the event.

She urged member -states to ensure that the UN water resiliency agenda is integrated in the key agreements under the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to scale up commitments to adaptation finance for reliable and safe water supply management and use.

Loyzaga said the Philippines, through the collective efforts of national government agencies, is currently pursuing a strategic balance between supply and consumption of water for health, food, energy, and environmental security, and is adopting an all hazards and risk-informed integrated water resource management approach to inform national level plans and actions.

The DENR has established a national natural geospatial database to achieve cross-cutting development goals, de-risk investments, and improve water resource management down to the community level.

This also underpins the Department’s natural capital accounting program that will provide a physical basis for the development and implementation of water-related social and infrastructure policies and programs.

President Marcos has also directed the creation of the Water Resource Management Office (WRMO) under the DENR, an apex body that will integrate the functions of all agencies with water-related mandates.

Loyzaga added that vertical integration is also being pursued to ensure the alignment of local government water-related policies and actions with the Philippine Development Plan.

“The water sector has the opportunity to lead change and deliver transformative solutions in our quest for climate-resilient and sustainable development. Let us all unleash this potential to ensure that no person, no community, and no ecosystem is left behind,” Loyzaga said.

The UN Water Conference was aimed at accelerating collective action towards universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.

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Joel dela Torre