From:Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Minister Browne highlighted sustainable development with a special focus on water as he attended the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) this week in New York.

In particular, the Minister addressed the meeting on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) ‘ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2026 notes that, ‘much remains to be done’, ‘with implementation gaps persisting’ and transboundary cooperation improving.

Minister Browne’s addressed the issue of access to water and sanitation for all and noted:

“Ireland recognises that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, access to water and sanitation for all, is interrelated with other Sustainable Development Goals - for example Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – and, indeed, without clean water and sanitation, there is little possibility of reaching other Sustainable Development Goals.“Ireland aligns itself with the Statement of the European Union and its Member States, which highlights the strong interlinkages between water, climate, food, biodiversity among others.”

The Minister stated that Ireland has committed to acceding to the UN Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health during the lifetime of the Irish Presidency of the European Council.

Highlighting Ireland’s commitment to international cooperation and the achievement of SDG6, the Minister added that Ireland looks forward to the 2026 UN Water Conference and contributing to strengthening the global water agenda in the coming decade.

Explaining how the Irish model works, the Minister emphasised:

Minister Browne commented on the UN Sustainable Development Goals :

“Although global access to water and sanitation have improved, billions of people remain without access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Achieving universal coverage by 2030 will require doubling the current rate of progress. Measures to promote Integrated Water Resources Management are of utmost importance.“Ireland is fully committed to leveraging interlinkages between all the Sustainable Development Goals to advance the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 6. Ireland also has commenced the accession processes for the UN Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health.”