Encouraging Central and Regional Governments to Get Involved in WWF Bali 2024, RI Signs MoU with UCLG

The Ministry of PUPR signed an MoU with UCLG and WWC regarding the cooperation in organizing the 10th WWF. Photo: Doc. Ministry of PUPR

JAKARTA - The Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of PUPR signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Worlds Water Council (WWC) regarding cooperation in organizing the 10th World Water Forum on Local and Regional Governments Day UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, USA, some time ago.

The signing of the MoU was carried out by the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono as Deputy Chair of the National Committee for Organizing the 10th World Water Forum, UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz, and WWC President Loïc Fauchon.

This agreement aims to mobilize authorities at the regional or city level to actively participate in the upcoming 10th World Water Forum 2024 in Bali.

Minister Basuki said that city and regional governments play an important role in ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, urban planning and management, and areas to achieve the 6th SDG target, namely clean water and proper sanitation.

"Therefore, we welcome the role and existence of UCLG to be an important part of the process towards the 10th World Water Forum which will highlight the role of local governments in advancing the water sector," said Basuki in his official statement, Friday, March 24.

"This cooperation agreement reflects our shared commitment to implementing water and sanitation policies and ensuring the down-to-earth implementation of the 6th SDG at the local level," he added.

Basuki explained that water is very important for many aspects of life in Indonesia. However, the achievement of the 6th SDG global target is still far from expectations. According to him, it will take about seven more years until the deadline for the 2030 agenda to achieve this, but more than one billion people in the world still lack access to safe water and sanitation facilities.

"There is still much to be done, we must act quickly with urgency. Water and sanitation issues must be managed jointly at all levels, starting from heads of state, ministers, parliaments, river basin managers, as well as city and regional governments. That is why we are pushing for an agreement to materialize this partnership," he said.

As host of the 10th World Water Forum in 2024, continued Basuki, Indonesia is committed to continuing all the results of discussions at the UN 2023 Water Conference and ensuring this commitment is translated into concrete actions and actions.

"With the theme Water for Shared Prosperity, the 2024 World Water Forum aims to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships in the global water sector, including creating strong synergies between local governments. I am grateful for the opportunity and this good collaborative initiative to achieve the shared SDG goals. together," he concluded.

For your information, UCLG is an association of local government organizations recognized by the United Nations (UN) based in Barcelona, ​​Spain. This association aims to help facilitate city and regional governments to carry out their functions in developing their regional potential.