In a letter to Pope Francis, FAO's chief stresses how access to water is critical to fight hunger and poverty

Writing to Pope Francis, FAO’s Director-General has pointed to the need to safeguard the world’s water resources so that they can benefit every person in every country.

“Access to clean water and sanitation is essential for life, and it is the basis for maintaining a healthy life and helping millions of people out of poverty and hunger,” Graziano da Silva wrote in a letter to the pontiff on 1 April.

The FAO Director-General thanked Francis for his 22 March 2019 message of support to an event organized by the Rome-based UN agency on World Water Day.

According to the United Nations World Water Development Report some 4 billion people, almost two-thirds of the world’s population, suffer from severe water scarcity for at least one month a year.

As such, “we have a long way to go to convert access to water into an effective human right,” Graziano da Silva wrote. 

The FAO Director-General underscored the hardships suffered by many people, especially women and children, who in water-scarce regions, must walk for hours in order to fill containers with water which is essential for drinking and cooking as well as for personal hygiene.

“It is essential to guarantee adequate access to water for these vulnerable people. We cannot prevent a drought from happening, but we can prevent a drought from resulting in famine and a socio-economic upheaval,” he wrote.

Graziano da Silva concluded by reiterating FAO’s commitment to continue cooperating with Pope Francis and the Holy See on all the issues related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially the fight against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and forced migration, and for the promotion of peace.

Later this week the FAO Director-General will participate in the Land and Water Days event in Cairo, which will review progress made in addressing water scarcity in the Near East and North Africa region.

Original source: FAO
Published on 02 April 2019