The SDG summit in September and several others in the years ahead offer the U.N. a chance to construct a plan of action for the future—and position itself at the core of both. But without a change in how the U.N. approaches the problems it must address, the summits could end up being another missed opportunity.
Acute water stress around the world has galvanized efforts to find new approaches and innovative solutions to access and maintain increasingly scarce water supplies. But critical questions about such trade, particularly with regard to the application of international trade law to untreated water, remain unresolved.