Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 30 March 2023

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ZERO WASTE

30 March 2023

The first-ever International Day of Zero Waste reminds us of a fundamental and brutal truth: humanity is treating our planet like a garbage dump.

Every year, more than 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is created, but 33 per cent of it is not properly managed in controlled facilities. Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of plastic is dumped into the ocean.

Meanwhile, pollution and chemicals are poisoning our water, air and soil. And a staggering 10 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions comes from growing, storing and transporting food that is never used. 

We must stop trashing our only home and declare war on waste.

We need those who produce waste to design products that use fewer resources and materials, while managing waste across production cycles and extending the lives of the products they sell.

We must massively invest in modern waste management systems and policies that encourage people to re-use and recycle everything from plastic bottles to ageing electronics. 

And as consumers, we must all consider the origins and impacts of the goods and products we purchase, and reuse and recycle what we can, whenever we can. 

It’s time to clean up our world, and make progress towards circular, zero-waste economies — for people and planet alike.

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UNESCO

PRESS-RELEASE

Partners Emphasized on the Importance of Water and Sanitation for All

Islamabad, March 30, 2023 – UNESCO in partnership with PCRWR, UNICEF, WaterAid, IWMI, Muslim Aid, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad and ICIMOD organized an event on World Water Day 2023 theme i.e., " Accelerating Change to Solve the Water & Sanitation Crisis". Representative of Government organizations, Academia, Students, NGOs participated in the event.

During his welcome remarks, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, Chairman, PCRWR highlighted the importance of water in the light of the Quran and Sunnah. He further said that globally, 2.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water and 4.5 billion people have no adequate facility for safely managed sanitation services.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Mohsin Hafeez, Country Representative, IWMI highlighted that water security is a big issue and has been further accelerated due to extreme events of climate change. Sustainable and equitable access to water to the deprived community is still a big challenge.

A Panel discussion was organized inviting key experts to shed light with reference to this year’s theme. The panelists included Dr. Saima Hamid, Vice Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Prof. Dr. Sher Muhammad, Chairman, Department of Agriculture Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Mr. Sardar Khan Zimri, Deputy Director General, Water Supply, CDA and Mr. Muhammad Tanveer, Managing Director, WASA, Rawalpindi. The panelists emphasized the need of raising awareness among the communities about water scarcity, conservation, and WASH facilities at the grassroot level particularly at school level awareness should be raised of young students on the challenges of water security. Moreover, all partners and stakeholders need to come together to achieve SDGs.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Inoussa Kabore, UNICEF Pakistan Deputy Representative, described that water is indispensable for all living beings. Access to safe WASH facilities is a basic right of all human beings. The water demand has increased due to the rapid increase in population. Climate change has further threatened the situation. The recent devastating floods posed a negative impact on the communities.

Dr. Youssef Filali-Meknassi, Country Director/Representative, UNESCO Islamabad, said that the purpose of world water day is to create awareness on water-related issues. This year’s theme is very crucial and globally we are lagging behind in providing safe and clean drinking water to deprived communities. Strong collaborative and holistic efforts are inevitable. Partnerships and coordination among the stakeholders should be encouraged to counter the issues.

During the event, United Nations World Water Development Report 2023 on “Partnerships and cooperation for Water” was also launched in Pakistan.

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