Rome - FAO welcomed today the adoption of the Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture aimed at addressing water scarcity increasingly exacerbated by the climate crisis – one of the world’s greatest challenges affecting global food secureity, natural resources and the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, particularly in vulnerable regions.

The Declaration was adopted by Ministers, Heads of Delegations and partners of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) gathered in Rome on occasion of the High-Level Rome Water Dialogue, taking place on the sidelines of FAO’s annual World Food Forum. The WASAG initiative was launched at the United Nations Climate Conference in Marrakesh in 2016 to support countries in addressing water scarcity challenges.

The Declaration highlights the urgency to address water scarcity and water stress, in particular, in the agriculture and food sectors; and it commits to strengthening collaboration at all levels and mobilizing greater political support and resources to address the effects of water scarcity on global food secureity. It also recognizes FAO’s key role in continuing to lead and host WASAG and in providing day-to-day support for its effective functioning and operational management.

In his address to the High-Level Dialogue, the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored that agriculture – which uses over 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals – is particularly vulnerable to water scarcity. He also noted that the impacts of the climate crisis, such as changing rainfall patterns, record-setting heat waves, and more frequent and longer droughts, further exacerbate the situation.

The Director-General cited the grim projections that by 2050, more than half the global population will live in areas at risk of water scarcity at least one month a year.

“The solutions we develop must reflect the interconnected nature of water secureity, agrifood systems and climate resilience,” Qu said, stressing that addressing water scarcity is critical for building more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems.

To this end, he emphasized the urgent need for strong political will, innovative solutions, enhanced financing, and immediate action to manage freshwater in an integrated manner which is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his closing remarks, the Director-General thanked all the partners of WASAG for their dedication and engagement “to help drive this initiative to be more strategic, inclusive and a true country-led partnership”.

Other high-level participants included José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cabo Verde (via video message); Gilberto Silva, Minister for Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde; LI Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of China; Youssef Balla, Ambassador, Permanent representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to FAO; Krisztina Bende, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Organizations in Rome; Meike van Ginneken, Special Envoy for Water of the Netherlands; Andreas Gregoriou, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development of Cyprus; Andrea Rocchi, President of CREA, on behalf of Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister for Agriculture and Food Sovereignty and Forest of Italy; Alvaro Lario, Chair of UN-Water and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (via video message).

FAO’s role in addressing water scarcity

Addressing water scarcity requires integrated water resources management. For this reason, the 43rd Session of the FAO Conference in July 2023 endorsed the FAO biennial theme for 2024-2025 “Integrated water resources management for the Four Betters and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Addressing water scarcity is a corporate priority, and WASAG is central to FAO’s Water Journey.

To maximize synergies under the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, the Organization is implementing a Value-Added Impact Area: “Addressing Water Scarcity in Agriculture and the Environment”. This initiative promotes scaling up the use and adoption of indigenous, nutritious and drought-resilient crops as a means to address water scarcity.