New York, New York, December 5, 2024 – The CEO Water Mandate—a partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute—and the European Space Agency (ESA) today announced significant progress in their joint initiative to leverage space technologies and innovative digital tools for advancing water security and resilience.
The “Digitizing Water Resilience in Basins” initiative addresses the urgent global challenge of insufficient data and shared understanding of freshwater resources, including water stress, quality, and accessibility.
A Digital Platform for Water-Stressed Basins
As part of its goal to achieve positive water impact in 100 priority basins by 2030, the CEO Water Mandate is leading the development of a cutting-edge digital monitoring platform for 100 of the world’s most water-stressed basins. The platform aims to provide actionable insights into water basin conditions, helping businesses track their contributions to water resilience goals.
Milestones in the CEO Water Mandate-ESA Partnership
During COP28 in December 2023, the partnership announced the selection of its first cohort of projects, marking a transformative step in utilizing space technologies, digital innovation, and IoT to enhance water basin monitoring. Over the past 18 months, these projects have yielded breakthrough results, providing:
- Comprehensive data sets tracking changes in water levels over time and into the future.
- Detailed water quality measurements and pollution source identification.
- Climate impact modelling to predict future basin conditions.
Expert Perspectives
Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives at ESA, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration:
“I am delighted to see the initial outcomes of this initiative, confirming how space technologies, combined with digital tools and IoT, can illuminate water stress drivers and intervention impacts—even in the most remote regions. Our collaboration with the CEO Water Mandate and WRC unlocks new opportunities for cross-sectoral cooperation and innovative business models, paving the way for far-reaching socio-economic benefits.”
Jason Morrison, Head of the CEO Water Mandate and President of the Pacific Institute, highlighted the importance of space technology in water management:
“This partnership with ESA is revolutionizing access to water-related data. By integrating satellite observations with innovative technologies, we are opening new frontiers in understanding and protecting freshwater resources worldwide.”
Key Achievements (2023–2024)
The partnership has achieved several milestones:
- Funding Support: ESA allocated €1.5 million to fund eight feasibility studies using satellite data and digital monitoring tools to create detailed diagnostics and impact assessments for selected basins.
- Global Reach: Projects span 13 countries, including Colombia, India, Kenya, Morocco, and the US, setting the stage to expand to 100 priority basins.
- Corporate Engagement: CEO Water Mandate member companies actively contributed to pilot projects, aligning efforts with NPWI monitoring goals.
- Pilot Project Partners: Eight European companies—Agreed Earth, CLS, Development Seed, eLeaf-52impact, EOMAP, eRay, Krucial, and Marple—participated in pilot projects, showcasing scalable solutions.
- Future Development: Plans for expanded corporate support and additional projects are underway.
A Transformative Future for Water Resilience
The CEO Water Mandate-ESA partnership represents a groundbreaking step toward global water resilience. By combining space-based observations with digital tools, the initiative is advancing efforts to protect water sources and ensure water security for future generations.
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About the CEO Water Mandate and Water Resilience Coalition
The CEO Water Mandate is a partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute that mobilizes business leaders on water, sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals for corporate water stewardship. Mandate endorsers commit to continuous progress against six core elements (direct operations, supply chain and watershed management, collective action, public policy, community engagement, and transparency) and in so doing understand and manage their own water risks. Established in 2007, the CEO Water Mandate was created out of the acknowledgement that global water challenges create risk for a wide range of industry sectors, the public sector, local communities, and ecosystems alike.
About the UN Global Compact
As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 18,000 companies and 3,800 non-business signatories based in over 101 countries, and 62 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative—one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.
About the Pacific Institute
Founded in 1987, the Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies. From working with Fortune 500 companies to frontline communities, our mission is to create and advance solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. Since 2009, the Pacific Institute has also acted as co-secretariat for the CEO Water Mandate, a global commitment platform that mobilizes a critical mass of business leaders to address global water challenges through corporate water stewardship.
About ESA Space Solutions
ESA Space Solutions helps businesses from all corners of Europe to harness space technology to improve life on Earth. We work side by side with industry, developing space-enabled solutions that will grow your business and bring essential socioeconomic benefits. All our activities have a focus on the green transition and the global shift towards a more digital, sustainable future.
To find out how ESA BASS can help your business please visit https://business.esa.int/