Call for business action at the 2023 Water Conference

AquaFed has launched a call with other global business organization to leverage the power of the private sector to advance water solutions, at the historic UN Water Conference later this month.

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To leverage the power of the private sector to advance water solutions, AquaFed and the global business community is coming together to support the SDG Movement on Water Action, whose centerpiece is the Business Leaders' Open Call for Accelerating Action on Water.

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The Open Call acknowledges the severity of the water crisis and urges business to translate concern into rapid action. Businesses can – and must – be pivotal leaders of change.

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The Open Call brings with it commitments businesses can make:

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• Work to improve water resilience across our companies in basins where we operate. In our direct operations, we will seek to scale leading climate-resilient water management approaches by setting actionable water resilience targets and applying resilience and mitigation planning.

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• Within our supply chains, we will work to implement strategies to scale leading practice and encourage our suppliers to adopt resilient water practices across water quantity, quality, and accessibility.

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• We also will join hands to have a collective positive water impact in at least 100 vulnerable global water basins by 2030, focusing on the most stressed basins in each company’s operations and supply chains. We plan to measure positive water annually based on improvements in basin-wide conditions for water availability, quality, and accessibility.

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• We will work to make tailored investments in nature-based and other equitable, climate resilient solutions that strengthen local water resilience.

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• We will seek to work collaboratively with other businesses, governments, and civil society actors, using a human rights-based approach, to engage with local and under-represented communities, advance co-financing mechanisms to close the financing gap, and apply our businesses’ expertise to innovate solutions.

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• We will work to amplify our shared voices to support policies, practices, and regulations supporting quantifiable corporate water stewardship practices.

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• We will seek to support the elevation of water on the global agenda, including the climate and nature agendas, through the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), UN 2023 Water Conference, and other platforms.

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The 2023 UN Water Conference brings all sectors of society together to accelerate action towards achieving SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and respond to the global water crisis exacerbated by climate change.

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By joining the call, as a business you:

• Become part of a collective movement supported by a robust network of resources and trusted partners to facilitate progress.

• Demonstrate your company's commitment to water action across your entire enterprise.

• Send a clear message to the public sector on how to empower business to act on water.

• Leverage your company voice - call on industry peers to join you and multiply your impact.

• Support our shared humanitarian, environmental, and economic future by building a more water resilient world.