The Mozambican government said on Wednesday at the United Nations (UN) that it needs 17 million dollars to recover the water supply infrastructure destroyed by the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.

Mozambique and Switzerland co-hosted a ministerial-level meeting at the UN on Wednesday to discuss ways of protecting the supply of water to civilians during armed conflicts, with the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, presenting the projects underway in the country.

"There are several social projects that we are developing in Mozambique with the aim of guaranteeing water supply in the regions affected by the conflict. (...) The Mozambican government is committed to successfully implementing this type of project, as it recognizes the role of water supply for peace, maintenance and social stability," he said.

Carlos Mesquita pointed to the efforts that the Mozambican government has made to provide drinking water and accommodation centers for the population affected by the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, highlighting a reconstruction project that consists of recovering the destroyed infrastructure.

"As water is one of the basic needs of the population in order to return and re-establish their lives, the recovery of the water supply infrastructure is the main component of the project. However, given the magnitude of the destruction and the lack of funds for the full recovery of the systems, the interventions are divided into two phases: the immediate intervention and the medium-term interventions," he explained.

"The intervention of the intermediate phase is estimated at 17 million dollars, and the government is committed to contributing to its financing, but also to obtaining funds from abroad," he said.

According to the minister, the Mozambican experience has proven that guaranteeing water supplies to communities affected by armed conflicts is a "critical element in promoting peace and stability".

This meeting took place on World Water Day and coincided with the UN Water Conference, co-organized by the Netherlands and Tajikistan and taking place in New York until Friday.

At the meeting convened by Mozambique and Switzerland, some diplomats took the opportunity to mention the devastating humanitarian cost of the war in Ukraine, where attacks on civilian infrastructure have limited access to water, heating and electricity.

"For those living in conflict zones, being without water or sanitation can have devastating consequences. Increasingly, we see the impact that water insecurity caused by conflict has on displacement and gender-based violence. In some conflicts, armed forces are damaging water infrastructure and controlling access to water sources," said Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the UN.

The diplomat then gave the example of Ukraine, where Russian forces attacked the water infrastructure and left more than 11 million Ukrainians - or a quarter of the country's population - without reliable access to drinking water, calling these attacks "cruel".

"The Security Council has a critical role to play when it comes to addressing water insecurity caused by conflict. As part of our mandate to maintain international peace and security, we must provide Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions with the necessary tools to address the challenges brought about by water scarcity," he said.