CAIRO – Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit stressed that the water crisis in the Arab region requires unified Arab efforts to protect the legitimate water rights in the Arab region.
Addressing the 13th session of the Ministerial Arab Council for Water on Thursday, he said new projects should not harm water rights of neighboring countries.
He stressed the importance of binding and just international agreements on using joint water.
He urged Arab countries to close ranks and lead a coalition for working out just principles for water rights.
He expressed concerns about the water indexes in the Arab region.
He added that despite the efforts exerted by Arab countries to improve people’s benefit from water services, about 40 million people are still deprived from their basic right of water.
Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals no. 6 on water requires upping spending in the water sector more than four times.
He congratulated Egypt for hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) next year, expressing confidence that the UAE will be officially entitled to host the summit in 2023.
This will offer a chance for highlighting the Arab environmental issues, he said.
He called for laying down national and regional policies while taking into consideration the link between climate change, water security, food security and energy.
