AFN Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse spoke at the United Nations Water Conference recently in New York to highlight the rights of First Nations when it comes to safe drinking water..Woodhouse talked about water governance and the need for intensified action to realize the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation for all indigenous peoples..Some 10,000 participants gathered at UN Headquarters and online from March 22-24 to address the water crisis and “ensure equitable access to water for all.”.The event was co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan..“First Nations work hard to uphold our inherent responsibilities as caretakers of water. Water is a sacred part of our way of life and is central to our health and livelihoods,” said Woodhouse..“First Nations responsibilities to water, and our rights as peoples with the right to self-determination, and sacred treaty rights, include all aspects of water use, jurisdiction, and stewardship as well as water governance over drinking water and sanitation.”.Woodhouse said water is life, and she means that for everybody, not simply for First Nations..“We know water security requires a much greater global commitment,” Woodhouse said..“The UN Water Action Plan should protect all water and emphasize clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right for all and specifically mention the situation of indigenous peoples.”.Woodhouse said 32 First Nations are still under long-term boil water advisories, down from 105 in 2015. Many First Nations also face repeated short-term boil water advisories..“No First Nation should be left behind. While there have been efforts to end long-term boil water advisories in First Nations in Canada,” Woodhouse said..“We have not yet met the goal of 'zero.' In addition, many First Nations experience shorter-term boil water advisories that are lifted and re-instated time and time again. The fundamental human rights of all indigenous peoples to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and broader water security must be protected, respected and implemented fully.”.In her interventions Woodhouse said at this mid-point of the UN-Water Decade, it's time for a specific and intensified call to action on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and indigenous peoples..She then pointed to the ongoing dialogue at the annual UN Forum on Sustainable Development and the next (annual) UN General Assembly Resolution on the rights of indigenous peoples..“The commitments at this conference will propel humanity towards the water-secure future every person on the planet needs,” noted UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the closing ceremony..To achieve this, the secretary-general highlighted key game-changers: from reinforcing water’s place as a fundamental human right and reducing the pressures on the hydrological system to developing new, alternative food systems to reduce the unsustainable use of water in food production and agriculture and designing and implementing a new global water information system to guide plans and priorities by 2030..The secretary general also advocated for integrating the approach on water, ecosystems and climate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and “strengthen communities” from resilient infrastructure, water pipelines and wastewater treatment plans, to ensuring every person in the world is protected with early warning systems against natural disasters by 2027..The secretary general also continued to press for climate justice and global action to limit global warming to a 1.5-degree rise..Lastly, he called for a dramatic acceleration in resources and investment into the ability of all countries to reach Sustainable Development Goal 6..Sustainable Development Goal 6 is about “clean water and sanitation for all.” It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the official wording is: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”.“At the 2023 UN Water Conference a determined global community came together to make a difference not only for the future of water but for the future of the world,” said Li Junhua, the UN under secretary general for Economic and Social Affairs and Conference secretary general..“I hope the energy we experienced at this conference will flow on to the SDG Summit in September when the world gathers together to advance the transformative actions that we need, to realize all SDGs, and secure a sustainable future for everyone, everywhere, on a healthy planet.”
