Colombia

High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

Topic Area A: Water Management and Security
Dirty water and a poor sanitation kills 2.8 million people annually, most of the victims
being children.1 780 million people lack access to clean water,2 while 43 states experience water
scarcity, including Colombias neighbors, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru.3 The water crisis is at an
all time high. As our population increases, the situation worsens.
Colombia recognizes the human right to water, as do 121 other states that voted for the Right to
Water and Sanitation Resolution in 2010. Practically speaking, only eight countries other than
Colombia have recognized the right to water either constitutionally or legislatively. Colombias
constitution as amended in 2005 says that the state will intervene in order to ensure that all
citizens have their fundamental needs met, including drinking water.
As a state, Colombia uses approximately .6% of its water supply with 92% of its people
using improved drinking water.4 However, Colombia is not immune to the water crisis. There
was a devastating drought earlier this year. This the impact the drought had on the ecosystem is
immeasurable. This brought to light the reality that expansive savannahs with adjoining
wetlands are particularly susceptible to drought.5
A problem as significant as a lack of water is a lack of sanitation, which is an omnipresent threat
around the globe. There have been numerous instances of innovations by nonprofits and
individuals which could drastically reduce the water crisis. Affordable creations, such as the
LifeStraw, have revolutionized our ability to provide sanitation for citizens on a local, sometimes
individual, level.
As a body, the Political Forum on Sustainable Development should encourage the United
Nations Industrial Development Organization to promote water sustainability policies. When
working in the agribusiness field, UNIDO should advocate the usage of sustainable irrigation
systems.6 Reaching out to regional governmental bodies to partner with them and maximize our
1 "Water Rights and Human Rights."Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.forbes.com/global/2010/0412/companies-technology-human-rights-poverty-ecotech-water.html>

2 "Millions Lack Safe Water."Water.org. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/>.

3 "Water for Life Decade: Water Scarcity." UN News Center. UN. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml>.

4 "Population using Improved Drinking Water Sources." HumanProgress.org. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.humanprogress.org/story/population-using-improved-drinking-water-sources>.

5 "Extreme Drought Causes Environmental Crisis in Colombia EcoWatch." EcoWatch. 05 Apr. 2014. Web. 22
Dec. 2014. <http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/05/extreme-drought-environmental-crisis-colombia/>.

6 "Selected UNIDO Field Projects."Selected Projects. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://www.unido.org/en/where-wework/latinamericaandthecaribbean/selected-projects.html>.

collective efforts, particularly regarding environmentally taxing industries. Furthermore, we need

to make a more concentrated effort to work with local governments to disperse information
regarding the best ways to preserve water and maximize sanitation on a small scale.
Ultimately, we need to consider, throughout both the forum and the entirety of our work, how to
balance money, political influence, and water control and sanitation. In a global economy that is
dominated by capitalism, we must look at the degree to which we should allow it to interfere
with our work.