This World Water Day, we have written to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Emma Reynolds, and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, to share our statement of concerns about the state of water security. You can read our full statement and we encourage you to share this with your own MPs and local press.
Dear Secretary of State
World Water Day 22nd March 2026
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF UK) has over 100 years’ experience seeking out the root causes of war and conflict, working through WILPF’s consultative status at the United Nations, and using negotiation and conciliation to bring an end to conflict. We are conscious that access to water, despite being a universal human right, is all too often a cause of conflict in both local, regional and national contexts. We are also aware that even in the UK, where it would appear that water is in abundance, access to clean, safe water is becoming increasingly difficult and more and more communities are experiencing floods or polluted rivers and seas impacting on both human health and nature.
On this World Water Day we are writing to you with our statement of concerns on water and to seek your response on those issues of relevance to your department.
The key questions for the UK government are:
Global water security
- What assessment will the UK government make of the findings of the UN report Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era?
- How is the UK incorporating global water security risks into its climate, development and foreign policy strategies?
- How is the UK supporting gender-responsive water governance and water access in international development and climate programmes?
Climate change and water resilience
- How are UK climate adaptation strategies addressing the increasing risks of drought, flooding and water scarcity identified in national and international assessments?
UK water security
- What steps are being taken to address the projected water supply deficit in England by 2050 identified by the Environment Agency?
- What steps are being taken to respond to the public concerns about polluted water entering our rivers and seas and the failure of regulation by the Environment Agency?
- How is the UK government ensuring an interdepartmental approach to water management, ensuring that communities at risk of flooding are supported, that housing and other developments are not being located in flood plains, and that nature is being harnessed to reduce the risk of flooding going forward?
Yours in peace
