The Hungarian Water Partnership (of which Pureco Kft. is a founding member) hosted a fruitful side event in New York at the UN 2023 Water Conference.
During the side event, János Áder, a member of the Water and Climate Management Board, consulted with the leaders of 4 pan-continental professional organizations (EWA, ASEM WATER, AfWSA, WEF) about the solutions to the problems of drinking water and wastewater in the developing world. The chairman of the board of trustees of the Kék Bolygó Climate Protection Foundation called the viability of the recommendations and commitments put forward by the HWP, in the framework of the UN 2023 Water Conference, necessary and advocated their widespread distribution.
János Áder on the HWP side event
The former President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder, in addition to what was said in the plenary message of the UN, emphasized the solutions developed by HWP member companies - especially by Pureco Kft. - and then implemented together with international partners, are well-functioning. These solutions for the supply of healthy drinking water and wastewater treatment in the developing world are the only realistically affordable way.
Walter Marlove, representing the US Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Dr. Károly Kovács, representing the European Water Association, EWA professional organisations, confirmed that even in the developed world, self-sustainable financing of water infrastructure is not guaranteed, and the state and union and federal (EU-US) funding falls far short of sustainability needs.
While Dr. Károly Kovács, Vice-Chair of ASEM WATER Eurasia, presented that Asian countries are planning to develop their (mostly underfunded) water infrastructure with different challenges and possible solution strategies, Usher Sylvian, Head of the African Water and Sanitation Alliance (AfWSA), strongly welcomed the solutions presented and confirmed that these solutions and approaches are closely aligned with the main line of the Alliance's development strategy
Drawing on his experience of bilateral water cooperation with some 60 countries, Péter Kovács, Hungary's Director of Water, welcomed the ability of HWP and its member companies to offer real and affordable solutions to partners, and praised the knowledge sharing and partnership cooperation that accompanies HWP technical and technology transfers.
South African water researcher Mendy Shozi, representing the UN Youth and Women's Caucus, presented examples of good practice in individual and socio-community engagement in water and sanitation, and expressed the hope that the solutions presented at the event will contribute greatly to ensuring a liveable future.
Bálint Rózsa, Secretary General of the Hungarian Water Association (HWA), another Hungarian accredited participant of the UN 2023 Water Conference, which is also a partner organisation of the HWP, welcomed the high level of agreement and cooperation of the participants as moderator. He also presented the call, made at the online UN Water side event organised by the HWA and supported by the vast majority of participants: be prepared to spend as much on healthy drinking water and proper sanitation as on telecommunications in order to develop water awareness and water values and to promote good value choices.
During the UN side event, an MoU was signed between two major pan-continental professional organisations, the African Water Association (AfWASA) and the European Water Association (EWA). The agreement supports the sharing of experience, knowledge transfer, development and implementation of affordable and sustainable solutions to water challenges through scientific and technological research, innovation and sustainable water utility development.
HWP was represented in New York by Dr. Károly Kovács PhD (oec), President and CEO of Pureco, and Róbert Forintos, Co-Chair of HWP.
Special thanks to our co-organisers who contributed to the success of the event!
