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Second Preparatory Meeting for the 23rd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum
“Water Governance in the OSCE area – increasing security and stability through co-operation”
Belgrade, 11-13 May 2015
Ms. Nilza Sena (MP, Portugal)
Vice-Chair of the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Economic Affairs,
Science, Technology and Environment
•
Thank you for the opportunity to represent the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly at this
distinguished forum.
•
The OSCE PA has long expressed concern over access to water resources and has
highlighted the potential for water disputes to lead to conflicts.
•
At the same time, we have noted that management of water resources represents one of
the most tangible possibilities for real co-operation in the OSCE area, which is why the
Assembly last year – in our Baku Declaration – commended the OSCE for its work in
facilitating negotiations between participating States on bilateral agreements on water
resource management.
•
While this work is undoubtedly necessary and constructive, it should also be kept in mind
that diminished water supply is just one aspect of a larger crisis that we need to address
– namely climate change and unsustainable agricultural practices.
•
In the OSCE PA’s Baku Declaration, we drew attention to the inter-connectedness of
environmental and security concerns, including the changing climatic conditions which
are caused by the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases associated
with the burning of fossil fuels.
•
We noted that these climatic changes are affecting the availability of water, as well as
crop growth and livestock performance, fisheries and aquaculture yields, mountains,
forests, biodiversity, the frequency and intensity of natural disasters and the functioning
of ecosystems throughout the whole OSCE region.
•
It is imperative that participating States pursue policies on the local, national and regional
levels to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as to forge bilateral and multilateral
agreements toward this end, while continuing to negotiate a new universal climate accord
with binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
•
The OSCE and its participating States should also develop best practices on reducing
wasteful water use, upgrading irrigation techniques, promoting less water-intensive
agricultural practices, encouraging a co-operative approach to sharing water resources,
and protecting water resources from all forms of pollution.
•
Water resources, which experts forecast as set to decrease, play a key role in
guaranteeing other aspects of security and the way that these resources are allocated
presents an enormous risk of conflict of which the OSCE must take greater account in its
future efforts.
•
Water is becoming an increasingly important geostrategic resource, and is considered by
many a primary safety risk factor. But if it serves as a basis for co-operation rather than
competition, it can also be an indispensable element of national, regional and
international security.
•
It is no coincidence that one of the UN’s millennium development goals at the start of the
century was to halve the percentage of people in the world who do not have secure access
to drinking water: water is a must-have element of security and social stability.
•
Currently, it is estimated that around one-fifth of the world’s population lives in areas
subject to water scarcity. As many as one out of every four people on the planet are
afflicted by economically-caused water deprivation.
•
Given the current economic and demographic trends, these figures are destined to
become much more critical as far too much water is wasted. It is estimated that in a
decade’s time somewhere between half and two-thirds of the world’s population will be
subject to what is known as “water stress.”
•
From a security perspective, we must keep in mind that misuse and impeded access to
water among countries sharing the same water resources constitute potential conflict
threats.
•
The participating States of the OSCE can benefit from a framework of multilateral cooperation; by sharing their comparative advantages in the fields of water treatment and
water reclamation, by engaging partners through practical projects, educational
seminars, and the transfer of technology, water management can facilitate broader cooperation in a real and pragmatic way.
•
Economic and environmental co-operation remains an essential element of the OSCE. By
increasing co-operation in this dimension, the participating States can make a substantial
contribution to tackling other threats to security.
•
The Parliamentary Assembly looks forward to contributing to the overall effort of the
OSCE in this regard, and encourages other OSCE Institutions as well as participating States
to recognize the central importance of this effort on the broader security agenda of our
Organization.
•
Thank you again for the opportunity to be here today.