March 23, 2020, Oakland, California — The Pacific Institute today announced that as Co-Secretariat of the United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, it has partnered with a number of leading global companies to launch an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative, the Water Resilience Coalition. The Coalition aims to preserve the world’s freshwater resources through collective action in water-stressed basins and ambitious, quantifiable commitments.
Together with the CEO Water Mandate, eight companies spearheaded the Coalition, including AB InBev, Cargill, Diageo, Dow Inc., Ecolab, Gap Inc., Microsoft, and PVH Corp. These co-founding companies – who will serve as Coalition leaders – as well as Coalition members, The Coca-Cola Company, HEINEKEN, Levi Strauss & Co., and Woolworths – have pledged their commitment to collective action and net positive water impact, and issued a call to action for other companies to join with them.
As the world grapples with the mounting and substantial global risks, including impacts of climate change, one of the most visible consequences is stress on our shared freshwater resources. Today, more than 25 percent of the world’s population live in water-stressed regions and over the next decade, the world will experience a 56 percent shortfall in freshwater supply, based on projected demand. This looming shortage threatens not only our communities, but our ecosystems, our businesses, and the global economy.
“If we are to build a water resilient future – to the benefit of communities, the environment, and businesses alike – business ambition on water must be grounded in real, measurable commitments. The Water Resilience Coalition does just that. It pledges companies to ambitious water-related 2050 goals and coordinates business investment and multi-stakeholder action in the world’s most stressed river basins,” says Jason Morrison, President of the Pacific Institute and Head of the CEO Water Mandate.
Given its dependence on freshwater resources, the private sector has a vested interest in ensuring that these resources are sustainable, resilient, and ample enough to serve both the needs of society and industry. The Water Resilience Coalition will ground its work in building the resilience of water-stressed basins around the world – prioritizing those that pose the greatest risk to local communities, industry, and long-term economic prosperity. Through collaboration, investment in infrastructure, innovation and policy advocacy, and by engaging supply chain partners and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the effort, businesses can help lead the way on water basin resilience.
The launch of the Coalition comes on the heels of World Water Day and the 2020 World Water Development Report, recently published by UN-Water, which further underscores the unified front needed to make significant strides to achieve global climate and water goals. Furthermore, the report stresses the link between poor water management and exacerbated impacts of climate change.
The Water Resilience Coalition is committed to achieving a water resilient future in partnership with a host of organizations, including World Resources Institute, Water.org, and The Nature Conservancy, among others.
Learn more here.