CAIRO – Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit stressed that water scarcity in the Arab region is one of the challenges besetting the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the goal number 6 on water.
He made the remarks on Wednesday during a high-ranking meeting on water scarcity and challenges facing sustainable development in the Arab region.
Abul Gheit said Arab countries are working on finding innovative solutions to secure water via national strategies, programmes and investments in diversifying water resources, including building water desalination plants, wastewater stations, and dams.
Despite all these efforts, there are still challenges and obstacles facing some Arab countries to achieving sustainable development, he said.
He added that water scarcity in Arab countries is increasing due to limited water resources, bloating population and shortage in funds allocated for water infrastructure.
He stressed support for building partnerships and co-operation with all partners of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water, thanking the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) as well as countries supporting the Arab water sector, like Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Italy, Germany, and the US.
