Accelerating Change: World Water Day 2023

Currently, 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 4.2 billion people are not connected to adequate sanitation. Target achievement is critical due to population growth, climate change, wars and crises. The Covid-19 pandemic has further worsened the situation. Accelerating the shift towards safe and clean water and sanitation for all requires global partnerships, individually tailored solutions, as well as technological innovation and sustainable knowledge transfer.

“Water is our most precious resource and it is up to all of us to preserve this scarce resource for future generations. Effective international cooperation and solidarity-based efforts by all are therefore needed to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda,” emphasises Gunda Röstel, Chair of the Board of German Water Partnership e.V. and Commercial Director of Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH. “For 15 years now, German Water Partnership e.V. has been promoting the expansion of sustainable and safe water and wastewater management in large parts of the world by closely linking foreign trade promotion and development cooperation,” explains Gunda Röstel.

Partnership networks to meet global challenges
With its more than 300 members, GWP unites Germany’s internationally oriented water sector – from university institutes and numerous small and medium-sized enterprises to globally represented component manufacturers. Together with its members and through the support of various federal ministries, the association successfully implements projects to strengthen a clean and safe water supply worldwide, for example through the Export Initiative Environmental Protection – GreenTech “Made in Germany” of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection or the format of chamber and association partnerships, promoted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.