MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has urged Asia-Pacific countries to come up with a bolder vision and urgent action on water-related issues to ensure that everyone has access to the important resource.
In a video message played during the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit at Kumamoto City in Japan, Duterte said water can define relationships and determine the development trajectory, making it a vital resource for human ecosystems not only to survive but to thrive.
Access to water and water services is rightly considered a basic human right, he said.
“Now is the time for bolder vision and urgent action. We need to decide wisely for ourselves and for future generations,” Duterte told the delegates of last Saturday’s summit.
“At the end of the day, inclusiveness is imbued with national interest. This means equity and fairness in water sector development. Solutions, therefore, must come from government and non government stakeholders alike,” he added.
The President admitted that the Philippines is “a lesson in caution and an example of the necessity for urgent action.”
“Despite the abundance of water in my country, there remains an enormous challenge to ensure our people’s universal access to safe, affordable, accessible water,” he said.
“This requires an urgent sense of community action in the region and integrated and coherent policy and the resolve to create opportunities for investments and collaboration for technological solutions,” he added.
Duterte called for a “robust regime” for regional sustainable water management and cited the need to use the best available science in water resource generation and climate resilient infrastructure.
He also urged Asia-Pacific leaders to secure sustainable forest protection and watershed management and foster collaboration among regional experts for technology development and transfer.
“We also need to promote trans-boundary benefits and interest for our common people’s development,” Duterte said.
“We need to forward a strong alliance between our strategic partners to address entrenched corporate compulsion to ensure environmental compliance and just economic regulatory regimes,” he said.
Duterte also commended the Japanese government for organizing the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit, which provided heads of states and representatives from international organizations an opportunity to talk about various water-related challenges.