IBLF seeks to increase engagement between the private sector and other stakeholders on water issues. In partnership with the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, we are developing the 'Water Action Hub'. This will be a publicly available online tool enabling companies to identify appropriate partners to collaborate with on water-related projects in specific locations.
Companies and stakeholders will be in a far more favourable position to develop new collaboration opportunities, or get involved with existing initiatives, if they able to identify the below:
a) other businesses operating in the same “hotspot” watershed
b) nascent government-led efforts to improve water management
c) the NGO, donor and development agencies that are also active on water issues; and
d) emerging multi-stakeholder initiatives to improve land and water management in the watershed
The Water Action Hub will be an interactive, online tool that allows companies to efficiently identify other organizations from a specific watershed, holding a common understanding of the water-related business risks in that region and a shared interest in taking action.
The hub will also be an information portal, giving water stakeholders access to information on water stewardship activities and research in a given catchment. It is being developed to complement water risk assessment tools such as WRI’s Aqueduct and WBCSD’s Global Water Tool.
As the tool will be publicly available, its functionality will benefit all stakeholders through:
- Efficient identification of appropriate partners for collaboration
- Access to data on water related initiatives at catchment level
- Reduction in water related business risk
- Improved social, environmental, and economic business performance
- Enhanced understanding of how other stakeholders perceive water-related business risk in different catchments
There are substantial additional benefits to organisations that actively support the development of the tool:
- This is a high-profile initiative that enhances the reputation of its supporters as responsible stewards of water resources and good corporate citizens
- Project supporters can influence the development of the tool in terms of both its functionality and geographic focus to ensure it delivers maximum value
The Water Action Hub is currently supported by the CEO Water Mandate, IBLF, Deloitte, The Coca-Cola Company, SABMiller, Veolia, Reed Elsevier and GIZ.