The Global Water Challenge: A Discussion of Solutions

Last week the Chamber of Commerce held a forum in Washington DC on water and corporate social responsibility. Good attendance, good speakers, good focus on 'best practices" in corporate/nonprofit partnerships. Encouragingly the event focused not just on the gravity of the problem, but on the solutions, and particularly the corporate sector's small but meaningful role (if done right) in those solutions.

Corporations aren't the end game when it comes to solving the global water and sanitation challenge, but they can be part of the game if partnerships are designed well.

Here is the Chamber's write-up of the event.

The Global Water Challenge: A Discussion of Solutions

February 25th, 2010

On Friday, Feb. 19th BCLC launched its 2010 Global Corporate Citizenship Issue Series with a forum dedicated to water and sanitation challenges (audio recording and photos available online).

Water scarcity, lack of clean water, and sanitation problems plague communities all over world, even in the United States. Take a look at these statistics (source: ONE Campaign):

- 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation; 884 million people do not have access to clean water.
- Every $1 spent on water and sanitation generates $8 worth of saved time, increased productivity and reduced health care costs.
- 4,100 children die each day from severe diarrhea, which is spread through poor sanitation and hygiene.

 

Forum keynote speaker Ambassador Hattie Babbitt emphasized that long-term partnership solutions are critical to the water challenges we face today. She also discussed how water plays such a vital role in addressing food security, economic development, and health (topics the GCC series will cover later in 2010).

Featured during the forum were global water partnerships between Dow Chemical and Global Water Challenge; ITT Corporation and Mercy Corps; and Diageo and CHF International.

The following suggestions for how to create and implement water programs resulted from panelists and audience members sharing their experiences and practices:

• Programs should be demand driven and meet the local needs
• Programs should cater to the local culture, especially as it pertains to girls and women.
• Programs should create an enabling environment for local residents
• Scalability is essential to program design
• Partnership programs should have a systems approach

It’s important to recognize that many people simply don’t know about the challenges faced in the water sector, so raising awareness is just as critical. Two campaigns aimed at raising awareness are the DOW Live Earth Run on April 18 and World Water Day March 22.

 

Business Civic Leadership Center: Focus on Water

Leaders from corporations, private foundations, and safe water nonprofits are all welcome at this Chamber of Commerce event on water - February 19, Washington DC:

U.S. Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Center

Global Corporate Citizenship Issue Series: Focus on Water

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

1615 H Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20062

February 19, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

The Business Civic Leadership Center, in partnership with CHF International, is hosting the first of the Global Corporate Citizenship Issue Forums. The focus of this first forum will be on water.

Water is not only a global CSR issue but, it is one that penetrates the core operations of businesses every day. Many companies are providing services for clean drinking water and sanitation programs and also establishing internal sustainability programs to diminish their water usage.

Join us to hear from Diageo, Dow Chemical, ITT Corporation, and their partners who have established an integrated approach to water programs. Listen as they share their experience working in specific regions and provide perspectives on the ethical debates that organizations face when working in the sector.

Click here to register.