Marianne A. KINZER, Visual Artist; Delegate at the #UN2023Conference of LMGlobal.Org
(March 22-24, 2023)

“In one of the accredited side events about groundwater, a passionate speaker from Nepal mocked the word “stakeholder” because a stakeholder is someone who puts a stick in the ground and declares land and water his own.”

The UN 2023 World Water conference gave me a feeling of togetherness. I found myself surrounded by people who share my interest in water, which in my eyes is the element where life evolves, grows and needs to be sustained. People from far and wide, from different nations and cultures, races, backgrounds and agencies came together and talked about water.
Water unites us. The most uplifting experience for me: no racism, no animosities but mutual respect and a combined effort to work towards a better future.

UNGA Hall – Opening Session of the #UN2023WaterConference on March 22, 2023 (from the balcony) Photo: LMGlobal.Org

Water is a subject that people can get passionate about. Yes, water is the key driver of nature and necessary for the survival of all species! Water asks for cooperation. Water is also the basis for a prosperous economy.

It makes a lot of sense, therefore, to have conferences about water and to come to a mutual understanding that peace and prosperity for all is only achievable through joint action. Environmentalists and privately owned industries can meet over water and make the right decisions.

In one of the accredited side events about groundwater, a passionate speaker from Nepal mocked the word “stakeholder” because a stakeholder is someone who puts a stick in the ground and declares land and water his own. Groundwater is invisible yet once it is depleted, wells, rivers and lakes will dry up. Water moves and connects. There are no stakeholders, the representative argued, but we are all in this together.

We know the facts: a warming Earth leads to droughts on the one side and floods on the other. Dams upstream deplete water-flow downstream. Contamination upstream leads to poor water quality in lower lying lands in the watershed. Therefore the slogan “From Source To Sea,” that the presiding countries, Tajikistan and Holland, chose to initiate the discussions at the conference.

Representatives from the many water agencies around the world showed a lot of good will and spoke with urgency about the necessity of fast action on looming world water crises. Everyone agrees that the facts are undeniable and the data is clear. What is missing is the political will. Why is that?

Over and over again, leaders of countries are not able to communicate peacefully or don’t want to do so.

We humans have a long history of conflict and war, but war is the last thing that helps mankind survive. War causes not only humanitarian crises and trauma which reverberates through generations, but also severe environmental damage. War makes a country potentially inhabitable.

At the UN 2023 World Water Conference, talk was about the right to water for everyone in a watershed and worldwide. Water does not stop at our political and cultural borders. We can declare a right to water but it will not help us if there is none. What would help is respect for others, compassion and solidarity, support and sharing, and fair treaties. We humans even have to respect and share water with non-human beings because we are all interconnected.

There are examples of successful cooperation between countries and strong environmental laws, for instance in South America and Europe. Environmental and economic treaties allow for the recovery of stressed resources, and prosperity could be restored. Watershed by watershed we could create a better world. That is the dream, and the UN 2023 World Water Conference brought us closer to it.

The more we know about the connection of things, the interwoven character of nature, the networks of life, the more we might be motivated to join a movement that would be based on respect. It is, after all, much more fulfilling to live in a world of connections than bask in own’s lonely glory.

 Marianne A. Kinzer, Artist, “Diversity” (28″x36″)

Images:

1. Opening Session of the UN 2023 Water Conference at the UN General Hall, which was pen on the #WorldWaterDay on March 22, 2023. Photo: LMGlobal.Org
2. My own photo taken at the Met in the weapons department
3. My watercolor painting: “Diversity”, watercolor on paper, 22” x 30”

About: Marianne A. Kinzer 
Marianne Kinzer is a German-born American artist who lives and works in Boston and on Cape Cod.  She is a member of Shared Habitat Earth, a group of artists concerned about climate change.
She has worked as a visual artist for more than 30 years and has shown her work in galleries, libraries, and other venues on three continents.
In Germany she earned a Masters Degree and studied painting with private teachers and at the Berlin University of Arts (1990s).  She worked and exhibited extensively in Turkey from 1996-2000.  After moving to the United States, she showed her work in and around Chicago, where she also took watercolor classes at the School of the Art Institute, in the Boston area, and on Cape Cod. Kinzer’s work is centered around nature and especially the central role of water in life.
www.marianneakinzer.com

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