Time Has Come to Put Water at Heart of Climate Change Debates

Marrakech, 09/11/2016 (MAP) – Ministers and international officials specialized in water issues stressed, Wednesday in Marrakech, the need to put the problem of water scarcity at the heart of debates and discussions dealing with climate change.

Participants in a conference on water, held at Bab Ighli site, which hosts the COP22 meetings, called for implementing programs and initiatives to preserve water resources, especially in countries suffering from drought and shortage of water resources.

In this context, Minister Delegate in Charge of Environment, High-Level Climate Champion, Hakima El Haite, said that climate change and drought threaten the right of many countries worldwide, especially in Africa, to drinkable water, adding that water is a matter of climate justice, which is at the heart of development.

Time is ripe to deal with this global and vital problem without delay and at the highest level, she said, adding that the Moroccan Presidency of COP22 insisted to give this issue all the interest it deserves.

For her part, Minister Delegate in charge of Water, Charafat Afailal said that water is a key factor in human development and public health. It also impacts access to energy and food security and encourages children’s access to education, she added.

After recalling the programs and initiatives undertaken to raise awareness of the importance of water, Afailal said that access to water is a human and social right and an absolute necessity for achieving sustainable development particularly in Africa.