N'Dow sees water as key to a sustainable peace. Outlines a new strategy for the new century.
Water availability has emerged as the most important element of peace, so it is central to the UN's peacekeeping mandate as it moves into the next century, Wally N'Dow said Wednesday.  Addressing a panel on the growing water needs of cities, N'Dow, the Secretary General of Habitat II, said lack of water is one of the 'most critical factors' that cause conflict.  N'Dow urged city officials, nongovernmental organizations and other Habitat players to act on the recommendations of the panel, which he labeled "the single most important dialogue at this conference."  N'Dow stressed cost effectiveness, better technology, and new management systems as the three most important elements of a new strategy.  More than 1 billion people worldwide--mostly in poor countries--do not have access to safe drinking water.  Also, most of the world's largest cities, including some in rich countries, do not treat their waste water adequately.  The challenge for growing cities, UN officials say, is not just to provide safe water but also to ensure the poor can afford it.  "Habitat is a wake-up call, as 40% of city residents do not have water," said Beatrice Labonne, director of the UN's Division for Environment Management and Social Development.  Currently, subsidies skew water prices overwhelmingly in favor of the rich.  In Jakarta, Indonesia, piped water accounts for only 14% of the total water supply, according to the World Bank.  Many poor residents shut out of the system have to pay more than 20 times the price paid by the rich.  Water pricing has long been a hot political issue, which is partly why the World Bank and the UN have called for privatization of the water sector.  But, they say, governments must regulate the firms to guarantee safe water and fair pricing.  Privatization is seen as a solution to manipulation of government utilities by vested interests.  For example, governments often grant huge concessions to industry as a means of helping the latter create more jobs.  Last March, Habitat organized a meeting in Beijing of more than 150 city officials, NGOs, and other conference participants as a precursor to the Istanbul event.  With the official conference underway, they will brief delegates on the future vision of these players.
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D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004777:Environment; D006262:Health; D007391:International Cooperation; D011634:Public Health; D012449:Safety; D012499:Sanitation; D014881:Water Supply
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