CEO Water Mandate Inaugural Working Conference
March 5-6, 2008
UN Headquarters, New York City
MEETING SUMMARY

Overview

Recognizing the urgency with respect to addressing the emerging global water crisis, the UN Secretary-General, in partnership with a number of international business leaders, launched in July 2007 a new initiative – The CEO Water Mandate – under the auspices of the UN Global Compact. The initiative was developed with the understanding that the private sector, through the production of goods and services, impacts water resources – both directly and through supply chains. Endorsing CEOs acknowledge that in order to operate in a sustainable manner, and contribute to the vision of the UN Global Compact and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, they have a responsibility to make water-resources management a priority, and to work with governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to address this challenge.

The United Nations Global Compact Office, in collaboration with the Pacific Institute, convened the inaugural working conference of The CEO Water Mandate on March 5-6, 2008. Held at UN Headquarters in New York City, the overarching goal of the conference was to explore how to utilize the unique platform offered by The CEO Water Mandate in order to deliver actionable value through joint learning and coordination among endorsing companies and other key strategic interests. The conference brought together senior representatives from  Mandate endorsing companies, UN agencies, civil society groups, and other organizations.

The first day of the conference was structured as a multi-stakeholder forum where endorsers shared their experience with Mandate implementation and participants exchanged ideas about opportunities and challenges for the Mandate, as well as key success factors for the initiative moving forward. The second day was an endorser meeting to discuss outcomes and to reach consensus on general operational and procedural aspects of The CEO Water Mandate in 2008 and beyond. […]