On World Water day, we remain shocked that one of the many appalling tactics of the Russian attack on Ukraine is the use of water as a weapon of war.

In the city of Mariupol, the Russian armed forces have deliberately cut off the population’s access to safe water, using the threat of dehydration to force the surrender of their city and denying access to the most basic needs.

Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine shows how crucial it is to contain the environmental impacts of conflict and to prevent the appropriation and overexploitation of water resources.

As good quality water becomes scarce, the lack of wastewater treatment and the increasing number of shelling and bombing of civilian infrastructure, such as attacks on chemical industries, create additional risks and further exacerbate the quality of freshwater.

Every drop counts. Clean drinking water and sanitation are essential human rights.

We urgently call on Russia to respect humanitarian corridors and allow for the evacuation of the civilian population to other parts of Ukraine. We call on Russia to urgently allow full and unhindered humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.

We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military actions, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders.

Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right. Water should never be used as a weapon of war – in Ukraine or anywhere else. In the world today, 2.2 billion people are still deprived of access to safe drinking water.

Background

This year’s theme focuses on groundwater, an invisible water resource that represents half of all drinking water in the world and 43% of the global water consumption.

Water crises rank among the top 10 global risks to economies, environments and people according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks reports. Disputes over water access and use can provoke and further aggravate conflicts and geopolitical instability.

The sustainable management of water resources and transboundary cooperation are powerful tools for conflict prevention and peacekeeping as proven by the EU´s work and experience in this area, with joint strategic management approaches helping populations living in shared basins or using shared aquifers.

Together with its Member States, the EU will continue to foster concerted international efforts to address the multiple and cross-cutting dimensions of water. In the run up to the 2023 UN Conference on Water the EU will work to accelerate progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 and other interlinked goals, and to raise awareness of the importance of water for sustainable development.

A water crisis is a global crisis. It is crucial that we address them together through multilateral fora and a rules-based international cooperation. They are key drivers for sustainable development, green transition and peace worldwide.

In its 2021 Council Conclusions on Water in the EU’s External Action, the EU reiterated the strategic importance of water for human development, poverty reduction, environment, biodiversity as well as for humanitarian action, peace and security. For this, we continue to invest in regional and multilateral cooperation to consolidate water governance at all levels as an essential constituent of peace, long-term stability and resilience.