A South Korean delegation led by Environment Minister Han Wha-jin will attend the United Nations 2023 Water Conference this week to discuss global water-related goals and targets, officials said Wednesday.

This year's conference, co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan, will take place in New York from Wednesday to Friday (local time). It is the second U.N. Conference dedicated to water after the one held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1977.

Han will deliver a keynote speech during a plenary session scheduled for Wednesday to urge the global community to swiftly address water challenges and achieve global sustainability targets.

This year's international conference will bring together water experts and government officials to be united in a common goal of building strong partnerships to address water challenges.

Noticeably, the participants will discuss issues regarding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 that was adopted in 2015 to ensure that everyone has safely managed water and sanitation by 2030.

The U.N. said over 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 4.2 billion lack access to basic sanitation facilities and hygiene.

Source: Yonhap News Agency