Israeli Water Solutions Showcased at the UN

On International Water Day, Israel presented solutions to the global water crisis that could benefit all mankind. 

By: United with Israel Staff

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon hosted on Thursday a special forum presenting the latest water solutions from Israel’s public and private sectors, marking International Water Day.

The event, organized by Israel’s Mission to the UN and MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, showcased examples of Israeli water technology used in more than 100 countries around the world.

“We are proud that Israel provides the world with cutting-edge innovations for integrated water management,” Danon said. “We have an opportunity and a responsibility to guarantee water security for everyone.”

Ministers and ambassadors from around the world and senior UN officials attended the event.

Water accessibility is emerging as one of the most pressing issues humanity will be facing in the near future. With global warming and drastic climate change, water sources are becoming scarcer and nations around the world are encountering mounting water-related difficulties.

Israel is world-famous for its advanced water technologies, which can provide solutions to even the driest and most barren areas on earth. With many years of experience in making its southern desert, the Negev, bloom, Israel has become a leading force in providing aqua know-how to countries around the planet.

Although Israel has experienced drought in recent years, it is managing an over-capacity of water due to intense water management and desalination production. Other countries are turning to Israel for help.

Over the years, Israel has transformed itself from a country with serious water shortages to a global water powerhouse, exporting its prowess to arid regions around the world.

Technologies presented at the UN included innovations that generate water from air and a device that produces pure drinking water from contaminated sources under difficult conditions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put a spotlight on the global water crisis on World Water Day, saying that over two billion people lack access to safe water and more than three billion are affected by the scarcity. He warned that by 2050, “at least one in four people will live in a country where the lack of fresh water will be chronic or recurrent.”

The UN chief told diplomats and activists that “water is a matter of life and death,” stressing that humans, cities, industries and agriculture depend on it. More than 4.5 billion people lack adequate sanitation, 80 percent of wastewater is discharged into the environment without being treated, “and more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related,” he said.