In Geneva on 16 November 2015, Deputy Minister of State Kristóf Altusz attended an international conference aimed at setting up a high-level panel (Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace) for the prevention and management of water-related conflicts.
The goal of the new international forum – established upon a Swiss initiative and for a maximum duration of two years – is to develop a set of proposals strengthening the global architecture to prevent and resolve water-related conflicts.
Hungary’s representative at the forum will be leading water expert Professor András Szöllősi-Nagy, who is a doctor at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and Rector of the UNESCO Institute for Water Education.
In his speech at the conference in Geneva, Mr. Altusz highlighted the significance of access to water in terms of preserving sustainable development and international peace and security; he did this with reference to the World Economic Forum’s global risk report, which identified water scarcity as the biggest challenge of our age. He pointed out that the issue cannot be confined solely within national boundaries: it is a question of cross-border related issues, and the growing level of interdependence among certain regions and states across the world. Hungary has always been at the forefront of research related to water management and water technology, and the Government of Hungary is committed to taking part in international cooperation on water-related issues.
On the sidelines of the Geneva conference, the Deputy Minister of State held talks with Slovenian Minister of State for Global Cooperation Darja Bavdaž Kuret. During the talks, the parties praised the significance of the establishment of the high-level panel on water as a top international body seeking solutions to one of the biggest challenges of our age: water security issues. Also on the conference agenda were the 13 November 2015 Paris terror attacks and its potential repercussions, recent events in the European migration crisis, and the further improvement of bilateral economic relations.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
