Final
Report: 39th SEAMEO Council Conference
The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong
Negara Brunei Darussalam
1-4 March 2004
The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong
Negara Brunei Darussalam
1-4 March 2004
Proceedings
Contents |
| Proceedings |
| Appendices |
Statement
by
Mr
André Dzikus United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) |
Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, |
It
is a great honour and privilege for UN-HABITAT to attend the 39th
SEAMEO Council Conference here in Brunei Darussalam and to address
this important Conference on the special topic of Value-based Water
Education. |
It
is also a great pleasure to convey the cordial greetings of Dr Anna
Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), who unfortunately can not be
here with us today. |
I
would like to congratulate the organizers of the 39th SEAMEO Council
Conference and the Government of Brunei Darussalam for making this
event possible. It is indeed with great interest that UN-HABITAT
participates in this Council Conference as an observer for the first
time. |
| Ladies and Gentlemen, |
The
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said and I quote:
“Without education, we cannot see beyond ourselves and our
narrow surroundings to the reality of global interdependence. Without
education, we cannot realize how peoples of other races and religions
share the same dreams, the same hopes. Without education, we cannot
recognize the universality of human aims and aspirations”.
Ladies and gentlemen, a lot of these human aims and aspirations
are shattered in our world of today. Many people pay a high price
with death, disease, disability and economic hardship due to the
lack of access to clean water and safe sanitation. You might ask
why water and sanitation? Well Asia is home to eighty percent of
the global population without access to improved sanitation and
almost two-thirds of the world’s population without access
to improved water supply. To meet the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals of reducing by half the proportion of people without
access to improved services by 2015, some additional 1.5 billion
people in Asia will need access to adequate sanitation facilities,
while an additional 980 million will need access to safe water. |
| As a response to this challenge UN-HABITAT and the Asian Development Bank joined forces and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2003 launching the water for Asian Cities programme. Under this programme US $ 500 million in loans and US $ 10 million in grants have been committed for improved water supply and sanitation in Asian cities. |
| Ladies and Gentlemen, |
| The current water and sanitation crisis is increasingly viewed as a crisis of governance. Good governance is critical to improve the efficiency, equity and sustainability of service provision. Experience, however from the past shows that efforts to promote good governance have not succeeded in bringing about any fundamental changes in behaviour and personal attitudes, and in the underlying values of the people that influence decisions. |
This
is where UN-HABITAT feels that water, sanitation and hygiene education,
specifically a values-based approach to environmental education
could make a major difference. A value-based water and sanitation
education initiative is a strategic entry point to bringing about
positive positive attitudinal changes among both service users and
providers, and in the longer term, can help develop a new water-wise
and sanitation-friendly ethic in society. Children and youth are
the best ambassadors to bring about these changes. |
| Ladies and gentlemen, |
I
am pleased to inform that as one of the first regional activities
of the Water for Asian Cities programme, UN-HABITAT, SEAMEO and
the Government of the Phillipines held Regional Consultations on
Water Education in Asian Cities towards the end of last year. The
Consultations were attended by over 100 participants drawn from
20 countries of the Asia Pacific region, including ten member countries
of SEAMEO. The Consultation over a four day period shared experiences
and best practices on value-based water education (VBWE) from Asia
and other parts of the world, as well as on innovative investment
programmes for water and sanitation in schools. It also developed
a strategy for introducing VBWE and water and sanitation investments
in Asian Cities and some participating countries developed national
action plans for VBWE. At the Closing of the Consultation the participants
adopted a Joint Statement endorsing a a value-based approach to
water and sanitation education. In addition the participants welcomed
a draft Statement by SEAMEO in which it pledges commitment to support
and promote Value-based water Education in the region. We were pleased
to learn that the draft Statement by SEAMEO was presented and discussed
at the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting held in Bangkok in December
2003. |
UN-HABITAT
looks forward to the deliberations of the Ministerial Council on
this matter and working together with SEAMEO in promoting value-based
education. |
Once
again I wish to express the sincere appreciation of UN-HABITAT to
SEAMEO and the Government of Brunei Darussalam for making this meeting
possible and wishing all the best in your deliberations. |
| Thank you. |
