On November 28, 2016, the Founder of Peace and National Unity - Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon as the head of leading pioneer state in water-related international issues attended and spoke at the Budapest Water Summit.

The work of this important water forum was also attended by the Hungarian President Janos Ader, President of Mauritius, co-chair of the High-level Panel on Water Issues, Ms. Amina Gurib Fakim, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Shaikh Hasina, President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, and Executive Director and Financial Manager of the World Bank Joaquim Levy. Budapest Water Summit started with an opening speech by the President of Hungary Janos Ader and video message of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Then, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon delivered a speech before the participants of the forum.

President Emomali Rahmon, calling the Budapest Water Summit an important means of coordination of joint international efforts in the water sector, reminded of the role and sustainable position of the Republic of Tajikistan in addressing issues related to water in the region and the world.

President Emomali Rahmon noted that Tajikistan over the past two decades is actively promoting water issues on the global agenda. On the initiative of Tajikistan and a number of other countries, the UN General Assembly declared the International Year of Freshwater (2003), the International Decade for Action "Water for Life" (2005-2015), and the International Year of Water Cooperation (2013).

Along with these initiatives, Tajikistan is actively participating in solving issues related to water in the region and the world, offering the international community in this regard new and important initiatives.

In order to achieve sustainable development goals on water, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon emphasized the need to create in this direction favorable conditions and modern opportunities, and called the support of declaring another International Decade under the motto "Water for Sustainable Development" as an important humane action.

According to the President of Tajikistan, this initiative will create a favorable framework for enhancing the role of water in achieving other internationally agreed goals and objectives, will contribute to a more effective and closer cooperation in the water sector.

With this in mind, the Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon once again drew attention to the strengthening of cooperation in the domain of hydropower resources management, improvement of drinking water quality, efficient water use, protection of water ecosystems, prevention of the threat of water crisis and climate change.

In conclusion, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon called the Budapest Water Summit as a favorable platform for constructive discussion of topical aspects of water problems of the modern world, and expressed the hope that it will be another important contribution to the unification of the collective efforts towards achievement of the goals of sustainable development in the water area.