By: The Reverend Deacon Ryan Zavacky, Global Partnerships/ Episcopal UN intern

March 22nd through the 24th was the UN Water Conference, hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.  This was the first UN Water Conference in almost 40 years. The goal of the conference was to adopt the Water Action Agenda, a document that has voluntary commitments from Member States, professionals, and industry stakeholders to meet the Water goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The hosts wanted to show how water was connected to multiple goals within the SDGs and the interconnectedness that the preservation of water plays in human development.

As this conference happened in the days after the conclusion of UNCSW 67, I only managed to attend one day at the conference.  I was surprised to see UN headquarters in New York filled with people from around the world who were passionate about protecting water resources and to learn and discuss ways to further human development in the process. Booths from NGOs and Member States filled the space around the Vienna Cafe (a frequented coffee shop for Diplomats and Delegates around a number of conference rooms) that displayed the initiatives and projects that each group started to protect their water resources and marine life.

I attended one meeting in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber on Capacity Building as a means to facilitate climate and water resilience. It was amazing to hear from Member States and NGOs from around the world on how they are increasing people’s ability to further their own development and in the process preserve the world’s oceans and waterways. The meeting truly highlighted how all world issues are connected and addressing one is interdependent in addressing all issues. It was a fascinating meeting that gave me so much hope in the future.

Peace,

Deacon Ryan

About the author: The Reverend Deacon Ryan Zavacky serves as the Global Partnerships/UN intern for the 2022-2023 academic year. He is a seminarian at the General Theological Seminary and currently completing the transitional diaconate, sponsored by the Diocese of West Missouri. Having been ordained as a transitional deacon in January, he will graduate GTS in May and is preparing for ordination to the priesthood and his first call to parish ministry this summer.