Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, has said the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres should create a position within the UN that takes responsibility for water. Schlettwein, attending the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York in the United States of America, said during an interview that the UN Secretary General was approached by the Bonn Water Dialogues Key messages supporters to create a position within the UN that would be responsible for water and fill the coordination gap. ‘We have approached the secretary general to create a position for an envoy responsible for water. There is a coordination gap that the envoy should cover,’ said Schlettwein. The minister said the envoy would make the decision-making process towards water management easier. ‘The water matter has no home where members can sit and discuss and make decisions on how the matter, especially as a result of climate change, can be taken into the future,’ he said. He added that the Namibian ambassador, together with the German ambassador, has been appointed by the chair of the UN to spearhead the development of water and the future of other factors related to water. Schlettwein said that as a line ministry of water, the ministry will give its full support where support is needed. The UN 2023 Water Conference, formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation, is taking place between 22 and 24 March. Schlettwein is accompanied in the Namibian delegation by Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

Source: NAMPA