21 March 2025, New York – European Union Statement delivered by Renaud Savignat, Head of Section, European Union Delegation to the United Nations at the UN General Assembly event for World Day for Glaciers & World Water Day 2025 Celebration
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The EU and its Member States thank Tajikistan and all co-sponsors for today’s initiative to jointly celebrate World Water Day and the first World Day for Glaciers.
**The health and prosperity of people and the planet rely on a stable global water cycle**. **Glaciers are an important part of this cycle**, as they serve as long-term freshwater reserves, supporting both ecosystems and human communities and their livelihoods. Unsustainable management practices, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are affecting water resources, and contribute to **the water cycle spinning out of balance.** This means more extreme droughts and floods, accelerated glaciers melt, disruptions in precipitation patterns, and changes in the ocean, which all worsen the global water crisis.
**There is therefore an urgent need for coordinated and coherent action on water at all levels**, in line with the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation. We stands ready to support the implementation of this Strategy and its upcoming Implementation Plan.
Excellencies,
Building on the outcome of the 2023 UN Water Conference and its Water Action Agenda, **the EU and its Member States are fully committed to work with the UN Special Envoy and all partners** towards effective multilateral governance, an ambitious and action-oriented 2026 UN Water Conference, and what will come after. Water needs to be a priority topic across multilateral processes. We therefore hope that important upcoming meetings, like the third UN Ocean Conference and COP30, will keep water priorities high on the agenda. These include the need for source-to-sea approaches and cooperation in transboundary basins. We also welcome the contribution that activities under the new Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences will make to global efforts to improve water management.
**The EU’s upcoming Water Resilience Strategy** will aim to **boost resilience** **in Europe and beyond by** enhancing cooperation on water at all levels, including transboundary cooperation. This will require action in the following three areas:
* First, **protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems**, because rivers, wetlands, and glaciers are key regulators of the water cycle.
* Second, **building a water-smart, competitive and circular economy,** thereby increasing efficiency of water use across sectors, and scaling up water investments.
* Third, **enhancing research, innovation and technology**, as well as inclusive solutions that leave no one behind. An example being early warning systems through the EU’s Copernicus earth observation programme, including on global glacier monitoring.
Excellencies,
Every drop counts and every action matters.Wecall on all to commit to stronger water and climate policies. Together, let us ensure that **water is not a source of crises, but a driver of prosperity and peace**.