Indonesia Underscores Water Resilience as Foundation of Global Development

RRI.CO.ID, Dushanbe - Indonesia's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arrmanatha Nasir, warned that the global water crisis can become a new source of international conflict if governance and international cooperation on water are not strengthened immediately. Speaking at the 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018–2028, or the Dushanbe Water Conference 2026 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Arrmanatha said water is no longer merely a natural resource, but also the foundation of life and a pillar of the global digital economy.

“If we fail to govern it strategically, the next crises will not be fought over oil or land, but over water,” Arrmanatha said in an official statement issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received in Jakarta on Thursday, May 28, 2026.

At the forum, he also highlighted the growing water consumption by digital industries, data centers, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and critical mineral processing industries, all of which now consume billions of liters of water every day. According to him, demand for water in these sectors is increasing rapidly and has become a new threat that has yet to receive sufficient global attention.

He further stated that water resilience has become a defining test of sustainable development, while billions of people around the world still lack access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and basic hygiene facilities. He stressed that achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation, has become a benchmark for the world’s commitment to sustaining human life.

In addition, Arrmanatha underscored the importance of reforming the United Nations (UN) to build up the global response to the water crisis.

“UN reform is not merely a procedural debate, but also a debate about water and a test of whether the international order still works for the majority of humanity,” he said. According to him, a UN that fails to deliver solutions on water issues will lose credibility in promoting global peace and development.

On the occasion, Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to continue contributing to global leadership on water issues, including following the country’s hosting of the 10th World Water Forum in Bali in 2024.

The Vice Minister noted that Indonesia has established the Center of Excellence for Water and Climate Resilience, which over the past two years has provided training on water and climate resilience to more than 2,000 participants from over 40 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia has also spearheaded a UN General Assembly resolution on World Lake Day aimed at strengthening global protection of lake ecosystems.

In addition, the Indonesian government has placed water infrastructure development at the center of its strategic national financing, including through the sovereign wealth fund Danantara.

During the forum, Arrmanatha delivered four key calls to accelerate the implementation of global water commitments, namely strengthening regional cooperation, increasing strategic investment in the water sector, preparing water governance for the AI and digital economy era, and pushing for UN reform to make it more effective and equitable in addressing water-related issues.