This May 18, a historic meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia that had 350 participants from 57 countries, including Panama, 50 ministers of water, sanitation, health, environment and economy gathered to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and a weakened global economy.
This triple crisis is closely linked to sanitation and water purification, which makes government prioritization of these issues vital because for decades they have threatened the progress of sustainable development, pointed out the president of the Steering Committee of the World Alliance for Sanitation and Water. for All (SWA), Patrick Moriarty.
“Water and sanitation are indispensable to prevent public health emergencies, integral to supporting economic development, and imperative to making communities resilient to climate change,” he said.
The Indonesian government, together with UNICEF, SWA and under the auspices of the United Nations, were the organizers of this event, which was attended by Panama’s Deputy Minister of Health, Ivette Berrio.
The organizers of the event agreed that access to soap and water will generate 45 billion dollars per year and will reduce the transmission of infections in the event of an epidemic such as COVID-19.
Approximately 74% of all natural disasters that occurred between 2001 and 2018 were interrelated with water, which required urgent measures, while it was detailed that 40% of the world’s population is very sensitive to the impact of climate change .
Writing by Nancy Pretto
