{"id":11998,"date":"2021-03-26T17:12:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T17:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/?p=11998"},"modified":"2021-03-26T17:12:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T17:12:52","slug":"vatican-on-world-water-day-vatican-calls-for-crucial-act-to-improve-water-access-and-to-end-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/2021\/03\/26\/vatican-on-world-water-day-vatican-calls-for-crucial-act-to-improve-water-access-and-to-end-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"VATICAN: On World Water Day, Vatican Calls for Crucial Act to Improve Water Access and to End Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA<\/em><\/p>\n

On the occasion to mark the 28th<\/sup> World Water Day on Monday, March 22, Vatican official has urged for quick action to help improve access to clean water, reminding the people to avoid wastage but rather use the commodity responsibly for the good of all.<\/p>\n

In a video message on behalf of the Holy Father, the Secretary of State Pietro Cardinal Parolin observed that amidst the technological advancements in the 21st<\/sup> century \u201caccess to safe, drinkable water is not within everyone’s reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his address<\/a> to the Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Mr. Qu Dongyu, the Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) Ms. Audrey Azoulay and the online participants Cardinal Parolin said, \u201cIn order to guarantee fair access to water, it is vital to act without delay, to put an end once and for all to its waste, commodification and contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vatican Secretary of State continued, \u201cCollaboration between states, the public and private sectors, as well as an increase in initiatives by intergovernmental bodies, is more necessary than ever. There is also an urgent need for binding legal coverage and systematic and effective support to ensure that drinking water reaches all parts of the world in adequate quantity and quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardinal Parolin pointed out that already in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si\u2019<\/em><\/a> the Holy Father noted that water is \u201ca basic and universal human right \u2026 a condition for the exercise of other human rights,\u201d which every human being needs access to \u201cso that they can lead a dignified life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He further disclosed that \u201cour world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Water Day initiative is part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> (SDGs) anticipated to be achieved by 2030 where goal number six is to ensure access to water and sanitation for everyone.<\/p>\n

Talking about World Water Day\u2019s theme for this year, \u201cValuing Water,\u201d the Vatican official during the Monday event highlighted, \u201cWithout water, there would be no life, no urban centres, no agricultural, forestry or livestock productivity,\u201d hence a call to be more responsible in the use of water for the preservation of the planet.<\/p>\n

He lamented that water as a resource \u201chas not been granted the care and attention it deserves, and even today we continue to make the mistake of wasting it, disregarding it or polluting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he emphasizes further on this year\u2019s theme, Cardinal Parolin said that valuing water \u201cmeans changing our own language\u201d hence \u201cinstead of talking about its \u201cconsumption”, we should refer to its sensible “use”, in accordance with our real needs and respecting those of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cIf we live with sobriety and place solidarity at the centre of our criteria, we will use water rationally without wasting it and we will be able to share it with those who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Cardinal said that valuing water can also mean \u201crecognizing that food security and water quality are closely linked.\u201d In his observation, water plays an essential role in all aspects of food systems: in production, processing, preparation, consumption and, in part, also in the distribution of food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to safe water and adequate sanitation reduces the risk of food contamination and the spread of infectious diseases, which affect people’s nutritional status and health,\u201d the Vatican official said during the online session adding that \u201cmost food-borne diseases are caused by the poor quality of the water used in their production, processing and preparation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He further pointed out that harmful effects of climate change \u201cdamage and impair water quality and prevent a serene and fertile life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of World Water Day<\/a> which is marked annually on March 22, was borne at Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 and after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution, the observation to mark the day commenced in 1993.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA On the occasion to mark the 28th World Water Day…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amecea-news","category-vatican"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11998"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11999,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11998\/revisions\/11999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}