Water Crises Jeopardize Social Stability and Peace

Water crises in different parts of the planet are a factor of instability that jeopardizes peace. This is stated in a UNESCO report published by UN-Water.

As of 2022, nearly 2.2 billion people still lack safe drinking water, including 115 million people who drink water they find on the surface. In the same year, 3.5 billion people did not have access to safe toilets, and 2 billion people lacked basic sanitation facilities. At the same time, 1.8 billion people live in homes without drinking water.

The UN has set a goal to guarantee access to water for all by 2030. It seems a long way off from achieving that goal. On the contrary, there are fears that inequality on this issue may increase. Universal water coverage by 2030 will require multiplying the current rate of progress in safe drinking water management 6-fold, safely organized sanitation 5-fold, and basic sanitation 3-fold. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay explains that countries must strengthen international cooperation and enter into cross-border agreements to try to improve the situation.

“Safe drinking water and sanitation are human rights,” reads the abstract of the UN-Water report. “Without access to these services, a life of dignity, stability and good health is virtually impossible. Water, when managed sustainably and equitably, can be a source of peace and prosperity. It is also the literal lifeblood of agriculture, the major socio-economic driver for billions of people. It can promote community stability and peacebuilding – especially in fragile situations – and contribute to migration management and disaster risk reduction.”

From 2021 to 2022, drought has affected 1.4 billion people, and since 2002, about half of the world’s population has faced severe water shortages at least some time of the year. Climate change may make extreme weather events and thus periods of drought more frequent, posing serious risks to social stability.