South Africa President Jacob Zuma will on Wednesday open the United Nations (UN) World Water Day Summit and Expo in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Zuma is the chairperson of the Heads of State Committee on the UN High Level Panel on Water.

The summit under the theme “Water and Sanitation is a Human Right” is in line with the South African government’s calendar of activities with March celebrated as a Human Rights Month. The summit venue is the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.

In a statement the Presidency said South Africa is hosting the summit and expo through the Department of Water and Sanitation, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and UN Water.

The 17th edition of UN World Water Development Report, which focuses on the critical role of wastewater management for vibrant economies, resilient societies and the maintenance of healthy environments across the globe, will be launched at the summit.

“President Zuma will also present a Declaratory Statement on roll-out activities of the High Level Panel on Water at domestic, regional and global levels,” said the Presidency.

“The summit will further provide South Africa with an opportunity to outline progress that the country has made in meeting water and sanitation goals since 1994 and will also be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience on risks in water provision induced by drought and climate change.”

The Presidency said the South African government “continues to call on all communities” to conserve water in order to ensure sustainability of supplies.