Why in news? The United Nations (UN) 2023 Water Conference to be held in New York City is being eyed as a platform to raise awareness, define a roadmap and advance the water agenda.

Highlights:

• The UN will be organising it with support from the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, coincides on World water Day 2023
• The conference, formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028).
• It aims to raise awareness on the global water crisis and decide on concerted action to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets.
• UNDESA serves as the secretariat supported by UN water

Five interactive dialogues

• The conference will have five interactive dialogues that will entail health, sustainable development, climate, resilience and environment as well as cooperation.

Water Action Decade

• Member states and relevant stakeholders will submit voluntary commitments, also known as the Water Action Agenda, at the conference.
• It will provide an avenue through which continued and hopefully accelerated progress can be made in achieving the objectives of the decade, SDG 6.
• The year 2023 is not only the middle of the decade but also the middle point of the 2030 Agenda.
• State of the progress towards the SDGs in the first seven years of the 2030 agenda period is closely related to the progress towards the decade’s objectives.