The meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization continued in the "SCO Plus" format. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the summit and called water security one of the pressing issues on the global agenda, the Akorda press service reported.
"Stability in food, energy and social spheres, as well as economic development, directly depend on water. However, the global water resources management system has not yet been fully formed. Dozens of UN structures deal with water issues. But a single intergovernmental universal organization with broad powers has not been created. It is for this reason that Kazakhstan proposed to lay the foundation of an International Water Organization within the UN," Tokayev said.
Its task is not to duplicate existing mechanisms, but, on the contrary, to coordinate common efforts, ensure sustainable dialogue between governments, mobilize resources and develop mutually agreed solutions.
"The SCO Center for Water Issues Analysis could complement this global initiative at the regional level. I am confident that my proposal to create an International Water Organization within the UN and an SCO Center for Water Issues Analysis will be supported by member states," the president added.
Tokayev also expressed his views on further improving the work of the United Nations.
"The UN is often criticized. Although some criticism is justified, this Organization still has no alternative. Strengthening it and increasing its effectiveness is our common task. Close interaction of the UN with regional structures, including the SCO, serves this goal. Kazakhstan believes that the United Nations should remain the core of the international system, and its Charter should remain the universal basis of international law," the head of state said.