UN envoy: ‘Water must be put at the top of the political agenda’ 

Retno Marsudi has been the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water since November 2024. This is a new role within the UN system. SWI swissinfo.ch / Dorian Burkhalter

The UN secretary-general’s first special envoy on water, Retno Marsudi, wants member states to put this vital resource at the top of their political agenda. She is calling for greater cooperation between governments, organisations and the private sector. Swissinfo met her in Jakarta.

“Shortages, floods, pollution – the list of challenges is long,” says Retno Marsudi, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on water. Speaking on the sidelines of a forum held at a hotel in central Jakarta, she warned that water risks are escalating faster than political responses.

Appointed by Antonio Guterres in September 2024, the former Indonesian foreign minister is the first to hold this new position, which was created in the wake of the UN Water Conference in March 2023 in New York.

“When the secretary-general offered me this role, it was of course something new for me. I am a diplomat, not a water expert. But then I thought, water is essential for every living being, for nature, for the planet – water is life. That’s what motivated me to accept.”

The special envoy’s role is to raise the urgency of water and sanitation challenges at the highest political level, both within and outside the UN, to mobilise states and secure the necessary financial resources to implement solutions. 

Strengthening infrastructure

One of Marsudi’s priorities is promoting access to safe drinking water, as more than two billion peopleExternal link worldwide still lack reliable access to this resource. This can only be achieved, she is convinced, by strengthening infrastructure, improving access to technology and increasing investment, particularly from the private sector.

“Infrastructure is the backbone of water access,” she explains. “Data shows that the facilities we have today are generally inadequate, ageing or outdated, or even non-existent. This results in an estimated 30% of water losses globally, and up to 50% in some countries. This is a big problem.”

Modernising infrastructure is therefore a priority, although this must not overshadow the need to preserve natural systems such as wetlands, aquifers and watersheds.

Technology for the global South

The 63-year-old diplomat is adamant that, above all, developing countries must be given better access to technology, which is largely concentrated in wealthy nations.

“Technologies are key for solving water-related problems,” she explains. “Yet most of those currently in use are obsolete.”

Better solutions, for example for irrigation in the agricultural sector, which accounts for 72% of freshwater withdrawals, or for cooling data centres, would enable a more rational use of resources. “We must cooperate with businesses and developed countries to make these technologies accessible to everyone,” Marsudi says.

Raising the funds needed for these improvements is also crucial. “For investments in water supply and sanitation, we would need around $600 to $1000 billion (CHF475 to CHF792 billion) per year, whereas at the moment we are at around $300 to $400 billion (CHF238 à CHF317 billion),” she explains, noting “91% of investments come from public funds. We must therefore explore opportunities for partnership with the private sector, while taking care to safeguard the public interest.”

Water at the top of the agenda

In her role as special envoy, Marsudi travels around the world meeting with different stakeholders, including political leaders.

“My goal is to mobilise all the member states and ask them to put water at the top of their political priorities,” she says. “We need to harmonise the various water-related initiatives and activities, so they have a greater impact on populations.”

It is also important, she adds, to speed up implementation of the commitments made at meetings such as the last water conference, which generated over 800 voluntary commitments. “What people want is results, not words.”

UAE conference in 2026

The next UN water conference will take place in December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of governments, UN agencies, NGOs, the private sector and indigenous peoples.

Cooperation, multilateralism and investment will be among the key themes of the meeting, from which Marsudi expects “action”, particularly greater involvement of the private sector.

“The private sector must be got on board. The question is how to persuade people that these partnerships are important. Many fear that this will lead to privatisation or commercialisation. We have to convince them that this is not the case,” she explains.

United Nations

“We have goals,” Marsudi adds. One of them is the UN’s sixth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6), which aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030.

“It is one of the goals that is furthest behind schedule,” the diplomat laments, admitting that she is “concerned”. If it is not achieved, then the other goals will also suffer, as water is essential for their implementation. “When we talk about energy, food and climate change, we also have to think about water.”

Multilateralism and water

Multilateralism is at a standstill. Whether on climate change or plastic pollution, states are struggling to agree on issues that are nevertheless global in nature. Can water bring everyone together?

“The more uncertain the global situation becomes, the more multilateralism and cooperation stand out as vital. If you ask people if they think they can solve their problems on their own, the answer will definitely be no,” Marsudi says.

“Water is not a solely domestic matter,” she stresses. “On the one hand because everyone needs it, but also because of transboundary waters. It is a sensitive subject for some, but the fact is that water flows across countries. We cannot stop it. So what we need is cooperation.”

Water can also be a source of tension. This is the case between Egypt and Ethiopia, which has built a massive dam on the Nile. Are international agreements necessary, in order to deal with such situations?

“They do exist, under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE),” Marsudi replies. “Most of its members are from Europe, but the executive secretary is working to attract more and more countries, in the hope that the issue of transboundary waters can be resolved peacefully.”

One year on

One year after taking office, the special envoy considers the responses to her commitment to be “very positive”.

“I am pleased to see that progress is being made, with more attention paid to the issue of water, which is climbing up the political agenda. There is also a growing willingness to coordinate initiatives and accelerate commitments,” she concludes. “But of course, given the scale of the challenges, these advances are still far from enough. We therefore need to step up our efforts.”

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Edited by Virginie Mangin/sj.

Adapted from French by Julia Bassam/ds