Kamala Harris photo

ICYMI: Vice President Harris Announces the First Ever White House Action Plan on Global Water Security and Highlights the Administration's Work to Build Drought Resilience

June 02, 2022

Yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the first ever White House Action Plan on Global Water Security, which, for the first time, elevates water security as a foreign policy and national security priority and outlines an innovative, whole-of-government approach to addressing this challenge. The Vice President was joined by U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power, Department of Defense Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, and Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Alice Albright.

In addition to the Action Plan, the Vice President released the 1-year report of the Biden-Harris Administration's Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group. The Administration has made considerable progress in heralding an all-of-government approach to addressing drought.

Read more below:

Los Angeles Times: Harris unveils White House plan to tackle water scarcity as national security priority
[Courtney Subramanian and Ian James, 06/01/2022]

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled a first-ever White House plan to tackle water security as a foreign policy priority in light of ever tightening global water supplies. […]

"Water insecurity makes our world less stable," Harris said at the White House, noting water scarcity makes it more difficult for communities to produce food, protect public health and drive economic growth. "Many of our most fundamental national security interests depend on water security." […]

As a "daughter of California," Harris recalled her own experience growing up amid an extreme drought and watching the Oakland Hills landscape "turning from green to brown."

"I remember how unsettling it was to imagine how our access to a resource so basic and essential as water, how that could become so uncertain," she said. "It is a reality that more and more people in our nation are, however, experiencing and understanding this issue every day."

CNN: Harris unveils White House plan to address global water security
[Betsy Klein and Kate Sullivan, 06/01/2022]

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled a White House plan to advance global water security and emphasized the national security implications of water scarcity.

Harris said the plan, which elevates water security as an "international priority," is aimed at preventing conflict between nations and promoting equity and economic growth. […]

The vice president noted in many parts of the world the burden of collecting clean water disproportionately falls on women and girls. Around the world, women and girls spend 200 million hours per day collecting water, Harris said, who argued that time could be instead spent instead in school, at work or with loved ones.

"The past two-and-a-half years during the pandemic have demonstrated that our world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. Water scarcity is a global problem and it must be met with a global solution. So today, we make clear the United States will be a leader in the solution," Harris said

Harris said she has been "acutely aware" of the importance of water security since a young age, when she saw first-hand the effects of a drought in California.

"I remember how unsettling it was to imagine how our access to a resource so basic and essential as water, how that could become so uncertain, and we cannot take it for granted," Harris said.

Harris highlighted funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill allocated to remove every lead pipe in the nation within the next 10 years and improve the nation's water infrastructure.

Associated Press: Harris calls water security a foreign policy priority
[Suman Naishadham and Michael Phillis, 6/1/2022]

Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday the U.S. is safer if people in other countries have sufficient water to drink, grow food and safely dispose of sewage, emphasizing that water access is a foreign policy priority.

Harris said making sure that every country has enough water will prevent conflicts, improve health outcomes and boost local economies. Working towards those goals will make the world more stable and secure, according to a newly released White House plan to address issues facing global water supplies and quality. […]

More than two billion people around the world live in "water stressed" countries where demand for water exceeds supplies, the World Health Organization estimates. Harris said that reality will have a "profound impact on America's interests around the globe."

"Water insecurity makes our world less stable," she said, adding that it can lead to "mass migration, which can put significant pressure on neighboring communities." […]

"Many of our most fundamental national security interests depend on water security," Harris said. […]

Harris' home state of California has been especially hard hit by dry conditions. Less water has increased the risk of wildfires and forced water restrictions on millions of Californians.
"Across the West, we have seen the terrible cost of the climate crisis," Harris said.

The Hill: Harris unveils plan to 'elevate' water security in foreign policy
[Rachel Frazin, 06/01/2022]

Vice President Harris on Wednesday announced a plan that aims to "elevate" water security as a national security issue.

She said that the plan would involve "fully committing" the U.S. to helping provide access to safe water and sanitation services around the world by sharing "world-leading" water data to help manage and preserve water resources and using diplomatic resources to "elevate water security" as an international priority.

"This action plan will help our country prevent conflict and advance cooperation among nations, increase equity and economic growth and make our world more inclusive and resilient," she said.
A copy of the plan said that it would also involve "identifying and supporting" investment funds to connect communities with resources to help them pay for water and sanitation and using government agencies to provide loans and political risk insurance to support private sector investment in water, sanitation and hygiene.

It will also involve developing new climate-friendly technology for water desalination and recovering water resources and working on initiatives with the Group of Seven, the Group of 20 and the United Nations.

UPI: VP Harris unveils White House plan to solve 'unconscionable' scarcity of clean drinking water
[Danielle Haynes, 06/01/2022]

According to a White House fact sheet on the action plan, the Biden administration seeks to use U.S. government resources -- including science, technology, defense and diplomacy -- to push global water security and foreign policy goals. This includes safe, sustainable access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene as well as water for agriculture, energy and other economic activities.

Harris said a lack of access to such water resources has made the water less stable, making it difficult to produce food, maintain public health, driving economic growth and ultimately fueling mass migration. It's also led to less security by provoking armed conflict over water sources and access.

"So let's get in front of this. Let's take it seriously. Let's understand the various ramifications of this issue. And let's also deal with the reality that within the variety of issues that are presented, there is the issue of equity -- because finally we know that water insecurity makes our world less equitable," she said.

Harris said that as a Californian, she's been particularly aware of the threats and dangers of a lack of access to water, seeing first-hand the effects of severe drought and wildfires on U.S. land.

"As many as 10 million households get their water through lead pipes and service lines in America, as do up to 400,000 schools and childcare facilities," Harris added. "As a result, our country today -- in this country, more than half of children under the age of six are at risk of lead exposure.

Greenwire: White House plan elevates water as a foreign policy focus
[Hannah Northey, 06/01/2022]

"By 2030, almost half of the world's population will struggle to meet their water needs," the vice president said, adding that growing water scarcity will "have a profound impact on America's interest around the globe." […]

Other speakers at the event, including Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power, painted a dire picture of worsening droughts and conflicts tied to waning water resources and warned that millions of people around the globe are facing dire situations made worse by climate change. […]

The White House today also released a report detailing the first year of its Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group. The coalition — led by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack — is tasked with addressing the impacts of persistent drought on farmers, ranchers, tribal nations and other communities. […]

Harris linked that action to her own work as a Democratic senator representing California, when she said she introduced legislation focused on smart water policy, efficiency recycling, and measures to remove and replace lead service lines. Recalling her time on Capitol Hill, Harris said other lawmakers didn't take the link between water security and national security seriously, and yet the issue has only grown in importance as climate change has festered.

"People laughed it off," she said. "Let's get in front of this, let's take it seriously."

Spectrum News: VP Harris outlines U.S. role in 'global solution' to water insecurity
[Rachel Tillman, 06/01/2022]

Vice President Kamala Harris outlined the federal government's new Action Plan on Global Water Security on Wednesday, an intergovernmental effort to increase international access to clean, safe drinking water, as well as sanitation and hygiene services.

"Water scarcity is a global problem. And it must be met with a global solution. So today, we make clear: The United States will be a leader in the solution," Harris said. "I know we will create a future in which every person in every community has access to our world's most precious resource." […]

"Since we took office, our administration has made important progress in protecting water security here at home," the vice president said, adding: "We also recognize how important it is to extend that work beyond our nation's borders. Today, billions of people around the world do not have access to clean, safe water. And in the coming years, climate change, population growth, urbanization and environmental degradation will only drive that number higher." […]

VOA News: US Elevates Water Security as Foreign Policy Priority
[Patsy Widakuswara, 06/01/2022]

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday announced the White House Action Plan on Global Water Security, drawing direct links between water scarcity and national security and elevating water security to a core foreign policy priority for the first time.

With almost half of the world's population likely to struggle to meet its water needs by 2030, food scarcity and economic and public health issues could lead to insecurity and mass migration and would have a profound impact on America's interests around the globe, Harris noted during the launch event.

"Water insecurity also makes our world less safe," she said. "Disputes between countries or communities over limited water resources can, predictably and by extension, over time provoke armed conflict." […]

During the launch event, Harris noted that water scarcity is slowing the advancement of women and girls around the world.

"Worldwide, women and girls spend 200 million hours a day — 200 million hours a day — gathering water," the vice president said.

Kamala Harris, ICYMI: Vice President Harris Announces the First Ever White House Action Plan on Global Water Security and Highlights the Administration's Work to Build Drought Resilience Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/356263

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