Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov met with Head of the UNICEF Representation in Ukraine Lotta Sylwander

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov held a meeting with Head of the UNICEF Representation in Ukraine Lotta Sylwander.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of Ukraine’s water security, in particular, in the context of climate change and low water, which has been observed in recent years. The parties paid particular attention to the problem of providing quality drinking water to residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and supporting the proper functioning of the Municipal Enterprise “Water of Donbas”.

The NSDC Secretary noted that providing the population with quality drinking water is one of the priorities of Ukraine’s national security identified by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Clean and high-quality drinking water for Ukrainians is our key goal, and it is enshrined in the National Security Strategy of Ukraine “Security of a Human - Security of a Country”, - Mr. Danilov noticed emphasizing the importance in this context of developing the water strategy of Ukraine.

In her turn, Ms. Sylwander presented the results of a study conducted by UNICEF on the assessment of the risks of the water supply system of the Municipal Enterprise “Water of Donbas” in 2015-2017. Among the key issues to be addressed, Ms. Sylwander mentioned the need for effective water management, the development of river basin management plans in the context of droughts, and improving Ukraine’s climate resilience.

Ms. Sylwander also expressed UNICEF’s readiness to further provide expert and resource support to Ukraine.

The parties agreed to intensify practical cooperation between the Staff of the NSDC of Ukraine and UNICEF on issues of Ukraine’s water security.