Commission welcomes appointment of United Nations Special Envoy on Water

The European Commission has welcomed the appointment of Retno Marsudi from the Republic of Indonesia as the first UN Special Envoy on Water, an important milestone in advancing the global water resilience agenda.  

Ms. Marsudi will be instrumental in addressing the escalating global water crisis, which is a critical challenge that requires enhanced international cooperation. The appointment also reaffirms the UN’s commitment to accelerating multilateral progress towards achieving the water-related Sustainable Development Goals and making transformative changes in the way water is valued, used, and managed.   

The EU fully supports strengthening multilateral governance on water to enhance international cooperation and to maintain the water, peace and security nexus, transboundary cooperation and water diplomacy in the agenda of the United Nations and other international institutions. As the EU acts to address water quality, flood prevention, and growing water scarcity amid a volatile climate, it welcomes working with the UN Special Envoy on Water to mainstream solutions in global processes, debates, and partnerships.  

This appointment is an important step towards the implementation of the UN System-wide Strategy on Water, launched at this year’s High-level Political Forum in New York.   

The Special Envoy on Water will play an important role in the follow-up to the UN 2023 Water Conference, as well as in the preparation of the next UN Water Conference in 2026. The EU looks forward to working together in making the next conference ambitious and successful in identifying further means for accelerating global water action.

Background

The EU continues its work to boost water security across Europe. EU water policy is one of the cornerstones of environmental protection in the EU, with multiple directives in place to protect the EU’s water resources and ecosystems and ensure all Europeans have access to clean drinking and bathing water. The current #WaterWiseEU campaign to see water differently aims to raise awareness about the many solutions available to transform the way water is managed, used and valued.  

More information

EU efforts on the global water agenda  

EU Water policy  

WaterWiseEU campaign