Retno Marsudi: 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water — EXCLUSIVE

Ensuring access to safe drinking water requires coordinated action by states and international organizations, UN Secretary-General"s Special Envoy for Water Retno Marsudi said on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum 13.

Report quotes her as saying no single institution, including the UN, can address the scale of global water challenges alone.

"Today, around 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. We must work together with states and focus on practical implementation. Sometimes there is a lot of discussion, but it rarely translates into concrete action," she stressed.

Marsudi also recalled that preparations are underway for the UN Water Conference 2026, scheduled for December and co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal. The event will be focused on practical outcomes and concrete commitments.

"I call on countries and UN bodies to focus on implementation and to prepare concrete, measurable commitments that can be presented at this conference. This is very important," she said.

Separately, the Special Envoy emphasized the importance of integrating the water agenda into other development areas. She noted that while previously the focus was mainly on "water–energy" or "water–food" links, today the interconnection between water, housing policy, and sustainable urban development is increasingly being highlighted.