Press release
08 November 2006
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Ministry of the Environment
UN development report focuses on water issues
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson and Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren will take part when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launches this year's Human Development Report.
Time and place
Time: Thursday, 9 November 2006, at 11.00.
Venue: Bella Venezia, Rosenbad
The UN report "Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis" calls for a global action plan for water and sanitation issues.
"It is positive that the UNDP has chosen to emphasise water and sanitation in this year's report. These are tremendously important areas that are often forgotten. The global water and sanitation crisis is an obstacle to economic progress in many developing countries," says Ms Carlsson.
Currently, 1.1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack access to wastewater and sanitation facilities.
"The water issue is very important for environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development. Careful management of natural resources both in this country and around the world is therefore necessary in both the short and long term," says Mr Carlgren.
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The 2006 Human Development Index will also be presented at the launch of the report. The Index describes the state of human development in the countries of the world.
Contact
John HillstiernaPress Service
+46 8 405 53 08
+46 70 681 67 79
Send email to John Hillstierna Johan Borgstam
Coordinator for Gunilla Carlsson
Telephone: +46 8 405 33 63 Tomas Uddin
Press Secretary to Andreas Carlgren
Telephone: +46 8 405 22 69 Pia Larsson
Desk Officer
Department for Multilateral Development Cooperation
Telephone: +46 8 405 56 61
