11th Meeting of the Group of Friends on Water and Peace

L'événement visait à aborder la question cruciale de la protection de l'accès à l'eau et à l'assainissement pendant les conflits armés, conformément à l'évolution des cadres internationaux des droits de l'homme et du droit humanitaire.

The session commenced with opening remarks by H.E. Yackoley Kokou Johnson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Togo, and was moderated by H.E. Dieudonné W. Désiré Sougouri, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso. Key panelists included:

• Mr. Léo Heller, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (via video conference)
• Mr. Rio Hada, Team Leader, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Ms. Mara Tignino, Lead Legal Specialist at the Geneva Water Hub and Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva
• Mr. Nisar Syed, Head of Global Cluster Coordination Unit, UNICEF

Discussions centered on the following themes:

• The legal foundations of the human rights to water and sanitation and their recognition by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.
• The growing importance of protecting water infrastructure in conflict zones, as emphasized in the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure, which was presented during the session.
• The role of international humanitarian law in safeguarding access to water during crises and armed conflicts.

L'événement s'est conclu par des remarques de S.E. Georges Nakseu-Nguefang, Ambassadeur et Représentant permanent de l'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, et de M. François Münger, Directeur général du Geneva Water Hub. La session a facilité un dialogue constructif entre diplomates, agences des Nations Unies et représentants de la société civile, dans le but d'identifier des actions concrètes pour améliorer la gouvernance et la protection de l'eau pendant les crises humanitaires.