Science for SDG6: A pathway to accelerate the implementation of SDGs

On August 17, the joint action plan formulated by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Program (UNESCO-IHP) and the Future Earth (Sustainable Water Future program): "Science drives the sustainable development of the United Nations The first working meeting of the Global Special Expert Group on Target Implementation was successfully held online. More than 20 world-leading scientists, experts in the field of water science, and governance and policy experts attended the meeting. Abu Amani, Director of UNESCO's Bureau for Water Sciences, presided over the opening ceremony, and Sharmila Nair-Bedouel, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of UNESCO, delivered a welcome speech. Professor Zhongbo Yu from Hohai University, Chairman of UNESCO-IHP, was invited to participate in the high-level expert group of the joint action plan and attended the meeting.

The Global Task Force on Science for the Sustainable Development Goals comprises two high-level expert groups. Professor Zhongbo Yu was invited to participate in the high-level expert group on "Science Support for SDG 6 and other related SDGs" of the joint action plan. Implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in monitoring, infrastructure planning, decision-making and impact assessment.

The meeting emphasized that the water and sanitation crisis continues to worsen and requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to address complex, interlinked challenges. The meeting announced the results of the joint action plan - the water science research agenda will be included in the United Nations Water Resources Conference in 2023, providing a basis for further participation and cooperation of UN member states, intergovernmental agencies, civil society and funding agencies. In addition, the water science research agenda will drive the implementation of the IHP-IX Strategic Plan (IHP-IX, 2022-2029).