Press Releases
Courtesy call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto by Mrs. Retno L. P. Marsudi, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water
On March 6, commencing at 2:20 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. MATSUMOTO Hisashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs received a courtesy call by Mrs. Retno L. P. Marsudi, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto stated that securing water and sanitation, which is fundamental to life, is extremely important from the perspective of human security, and that Japan would like to continue working closely with the United Nations in the international arena, including the UN Water Conference to be held in 2026. In response, the UN Special Envoy on Water Mrs. Retno stated that water is essential for human beings while the world faces various challenges such as water shortage and pollution, and she expressed the need for cooperation among countries and expected for Japanese leadership in water issues, including discussions at the UN Water Conference 2026.
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto also stated that water-related disasters such as floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and severe in many parts of the world, partly due to the effects of climate change. In response, the UN Special Envoy on Water Mrs. Retno expressed her hope that Japan's experience and knowledge of water-related disasters and water infrastructure development will continue to be utilized to solve water-related problems around the world.
- Both sides exchanged views on the importance of promoting discussions on the water sector, taking into account disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts, including “Sendai Framework for DRR”.
(Reference1) United Nations Water Conference
The UN Water Conference 2023 was held at the UN Headquarters as the first UN conference dedicated to water in 46 years. The conference consisted of plenary and five thematic discussions, and Japan co-chaired the “Theme 3: Water for Climate, Resilience, and Environment: Source of Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)” with Egypt (Special Envoy of Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko at that time, served as the Japanese chair). The next UN Water Conference is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates in December 2026.