From Crisis to Cooperation: Elevating Water as a Cornerstone of Global Resilience

H.E. Ms. Laura Chinchilla Miranda, an SWA Global Leadership Council member and former President of Costa Rica, gave the plenary address at the Seventh Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 8 July 2025. This is an adapted version of that speech.

Laura Chinchilla at the the UN's Seventh Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters. UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe.

We stand at a critical inflection point. Across the world, natural disasters- from floods to droughts- are intensifying. Basic services are faltering. Inequalities are widening, and at the heart of these overlapping crises lies a singular, indispensable force: water.

Water sustains life, powers economies, and builds peace. But when neglected or weaponized, it can also become a source of suffering and division.

We are witnessing this at an alarming rate in regions where water and sanitation infrastructure are deliberately targeted – it not only violates international humanitarian law but also threatens the very foundation of human dignity.

Access to water must never, under any circumstances, be used as a weapon of war.

When catastrophe strikes, it reveals our vulnerabilities – but also offers opportunities to forge trust, collaboration, and resilience.

That collaboration, however, is not automatic. It must be designed and defended– through, diplomacy, robust information sharing, pooled resources and mechanisms that endure long after the waters recede.

This is especially true for those countries most exposed to climate-related risks.

Financing water as a global public good

As recently emphasised by the Club de Madrid, a group of former Heads of State, at the Seville Financing for Development Conference, we cannot expect these countries to act boldly on water, sanitation, and climate if they are paralysed by unsustainable debt. Financing water as a global public good- like health or education- is not only JUST, but also ESSENTIAL.

The call from Seville is clear: renew multilateralism, coordinate debt relief, and mobilize resources to protect rights and foster peace. These are not abstract aspirations. They are foundational to the work we do here and in that context, I call on the leadership of both current and former Heads of State.

Indeed, I am proud to highlight the progress we are making through the Heads of State Initiatives within the Sanitation and Water for All partnership. As a member of the SWA Global Leadership Council, I have the privilege of working alongside fellow leaders who are deeply committed to elevating water and sanitation to the highest levels of national decision-making.

This growing coalition - now over 18 countries strong - supported by SWA, UNICEF, the Governments of the UK and the Netherlands, IRC WASH, and WaterAid, is championing Presidential and Prime Ministerial Compacts that enshrine water and sanitation as human rights and national priorities.

These compacts are already yielding results - from budget increases in South Sudan to prioritising climate resilience in Nepal. They exemplify what can happen when global solidarity meets national action.

Momentum in Madrid

And this October, we will further build on this momentum in Madrid, at the 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting. Hosted by the Government of Spain and co-convened by SWA and UNICEF, this event will spotlight not only what we have achieved - but how we can go further, together.

The Madrid ministerial meeting will provide a critical forum for ministers and stakeholders from all regions to address the increasing threats posed by climate change, water insecurity, and service fragmentation.

It will focus not only on sharing experiences but also on catalysing systemic reforms to ensure resilient, climate-integrated water and sanitation strategies. Ministers will engage in targeted dialogues to forge practical, coordinated actions, aligning national plans such as National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions with the water sector.

This Meeting will also launch the High-Level Leaders’ Compact on Water Security and Resilience, a powerful declaration to elevate water and sanitation within climate, development, and financing frameworks - backed by the kind of leadership and innovation the world now urgently needs. This Compact is envisioned as a call for advocacy and action to strengthen the preparatory efforts with member states for the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Anchoring our work for the future

As we convene here, knowing that the outcomes of this session will feed directly into the Dushanbe Process and inform the UN Water Conferences of 2026 and 2028, we must anchor our work in three guiding principles. And let us do so knowing that the 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting will serve as a bridge between our deliberations today and the bold action required tomorrow.

The first guiding principle, anticipatory collaboration: We must shift from reaction to prevention. Early warning systems, shared data, and joint planning save lives and protect communities. This is where regional and international cooperation can be most transformative.

The second guiding principle, universal rights: We must uphold access to safe water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, even in times of crisis. Just like the rights to health and food, these rights demand that services be accessible, affordable, acceptable, and safe in both quality and delivery. They require progressive realization by all states, within their means, and must be prioritized in all humanitarian and development contexts. Protect critical water infrastructure under international norms, and ensure that all communities, especially the most marginalized, are prioritized in planning and investment. Indeed, when we recognize and uphold these rights even in fragile and politically sensitive settings, we transform water from a potential flashpoint into a cornerstone of peace.

Finally, the third guiding principle, transparency and accountability: We must mobilize and track financing for water and disaster risk reduction with rigor and openness. Encourage time-bound commitments from governments and stakeholders and establish peer-review mechanisms to “name and fame” progress, learning continually from one another. The 2025 SMM will be a unique platform to champion such accountability, offering ministers a space for open dialogue under Chatham House rules, and an opportunity to align national strategies with global frameworks.

The stakes could not be higher, and it is indeed time for courage and clarity. We cannot build resilient water systems while vulnerable countries are trapped in debt. We cannot promise universal access without investing in the systems that deliver it. And we cannot afford to treat water as anything less than a global priority- interlinked with climate, peace, and justice.

In this critical lead-up to 2030, let today be the catalyst that turns ambition into action.

Let our resolutions resonate in capitals and across basins. And let us remember- water does not divide us, it reveals our interdependence.