Alarming truth about global water insecurity

BY ERO IBHAFIDON

Your excellencies, distinguished delegates, and esteemed partners,

Water insecurity is a silent catastrophe. One in three people lack access to safe drinking water, and every two minutes, a child dies from a waterborne disease. Climate change is worsening this crisis, drying up rivers and contaminating vital water sources.

We are halfway through the UN Water Action Decade, yet progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6—Clean Water and Sanitation for All—remains too slow. This is not just a crisis; it is a failure of leadership.

At Waterlight Save Initiative, we are proving that community-driven solutions can deliver sustainable water access where it is needed most. Our approach is built on four key pillars:

1️. Resilient Infrastructure – Expanding solar-powered boreholes to provide sustainable, climate-resilient water access.
2️. Global Partnerships – Strengthening collaborations to drive high-impact water and sanitation initiatives.
3️. Policy Advocacy – Promoting inclusive governance that prioritizes rural and marginalized communities.
4️. Hygiene & Behavioral Change – Educating communities on responsible water use and sanitation practices.

These solutions work. Now, we must scale them up.

A Call to Action: No More Promises—We Need Results

We urge the United Nations and global stakeholders to:

• Establish a Global Water Security Fund – To accelerate climate-resilient water infrastructure.
• Mandate Accountability for SDG 6 – Enforce clear progress benchmarks to hold nations responsible.
• Expand Access to Water Innovation – Ensure technological advancements reach vulnerable communities.
• The solutions exist. The resources exist. What we need now is the courage to act.

Years from now, will we be remembered as the generation that ended water scarcity—or the one that let millions suffer in silence? The time for pledges has passed. Now, we must deliver results.

Waterlight Save Initiative stands ready. Let’s turn words into action. Let’s get to work. Thank You.

Speech delivered by Ero Ibhafidon, President, Waterlight Save Initiative at Organisational Session of the UN 2026 Water Conference