President Zuma to Officially Open the United Nations World Water Day Summit and Expo in Durban The Summit will be held under the theme “Water and Sanitation is a Human Right” in line with the South African government’s calendar of activities with March celebrated as a Human Rights Month PRETORIA, South Africa, March 20, 2017/APO/ -- President Jacob Zuma, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Heads of State Committee on the United Nations (UN) High Level Panel on Water, will on Wednesday, 22 March 2017, officially open the United Nations (UN) World Water Day Summit and Expo in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The Summit will be held under the theme “Water and Sanitation is a Human Right” in line with the South African government’s calendar of activities with March celebrated as a Human Rights Month. South Africa will host the Summit and Expo through the Department of Water and Sanitation, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and United Nations Water. The Summit will also provide an opportunity to launch the 17th edition of UN’s World Water Development Report, which focuses on the critical role of wastewater management for vibrant economies, resilient societies and the maintenance of healthy environments across the globe. President Zuma will also present a Declaratory Statement on roll-out activities of the High Level Panel on Water at domestic, regional and global levels. The Summit will further provide South Africa with an opportunity to outline progress that the country has made in meeting water and sanitation goals since 1994 and will also be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience on risks in water provision induced by drought and climate change. The South African Government continues to call on all communities to conserve water in order to ensure sustainability of water supply. The details of the Summit are as follows: Date: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Time: 10h00
Venue: Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, Durban. Media attending the Summit should please send their details to Vukile Mathabela on 082 708 3269 or DWS Spokesperson Sputnik Ratau on 082 874 2942 or KZN COGTA Spokesperson Lennox Mabaso on 082 884 2403. Distributed by APO on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Presidency.