In Conversation with Ms Helen Clark, Administrator of United Nations Development Programme and former Prime Minister of New Zealand

By Oliver Michael alias Clark Kent

If you knew there would be no more water coming out of your taps tomorrow, how far would you go to prevent it? What would you do to ensure that such a future never happens?

Most would argue for better technology. But during the Water Conversation with Ms Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, she identified a more pertinent angle: good leadership, good governance and political will. Rather than technology, governmental leadership is more of a stumbling block in building capacity for sustainable development.

Ms Helen Clark was speaking at a dialogue session consisting of some of the biggest movers and shakers in the global water conservation industry. Together with Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, many key issues about the delicate act of balancing urban development while protecting the environment were discussed.