UN Global Compact | Pacific Institute
Mailing List
Publications
  • Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines (2014)
  • Exploring the Business Case for Sanitation
  • Shared Water Challenges and Interests
  • Understanding "Sufficiency" in Water-Related Collective Action
  • Corporate Water Accounting
  • Guide to Managing Integrity in Water Stewardship Initiatives (2015)
  • Respecting the Human Rights to Water & Sanitation (2015)
  • Guide to Setting Site Water Targets Informed by Catchment Context
  • Guide to Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy (2010)
  • Understanding Key Water Stewardship Terms
  • Guide to Water-Related Collective Action (2013)
  • Water Resilience Coalition
  • Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA): A Practical Guide to Implementing Water Replenishment Targets (2021)
  • Setting Enterprise Water Targets: A Guide for Companies (2021)
Tools & Websites
  • Water and COVID-19
  • Water Action Hub
  • WASH4Work
  • Natural Resources Risk & Action Framework
  • Water Resilience Assessment Framework
  • Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds
CEO Water MandateCEO Water Mandate
  • Sign the Commitment
  • Get Involved
    • Endorse the Mandate
    • Water Resilience Coalition
    • WASH4Work
    • Events & Webinars
    • Newsletter
  • About
    • What is the Mandate?
    • Endorsing Companies
    • Governance
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • News
    • Strategic Partners
    • Annual Reports
  • Learn
    • What is Water Stewardship?
    • The Business Case for Water Stewardship
    • NPWI (Net Positive Water Impact)
    • Water Stewardship University
    • Water Stewardship Toolbox
    • The Water Stewardship Journey
  • Sign the Commitment
  • Get Involved
    • Endorse the Mandate
    • Water Resilience Coalition
    • WASH4Work
    • Events & Webinars
    • Newsletter
  • About
    • What is the Mandate?
    • Endorsing Companies
    • Governance
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • News
    • Strategic Partners
    • Annual Reports
  • Learn
    • What is Water Stewardship?
    • The Business Case for Water Stewardship
    • NPWI (Net Positive Water Impact)
    • Water Stewardship University
    • Water Stewardship Toolbox
    • The Water Stewardship Journey

FAQs

  • Home
  • About
  • FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the CEO Water Mandate? Why was it created?

    The CEO Water Mandate is a unique public-private initiative that mobilizes business leaders for water stewardship. Established by the UN Global Compact in 2007, the 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. The CEO Water Mandate is rooted in the belief that cross-sectoral collaboration on shared water goals is the most effective path to more sustainable water management and that the private sector can be a critical partner in this effort.
  2. How is the CEO Water Mandate governed?

    The Mandate is governed by the Steering Committee, charged with strategic, administrative, and financial arrangements. The Steering Committee is composed of ten corporate representatives, representing different geographies and serving staggered two-year terms, and one representative of the UN Global Compact Office. It is supported by Special Advisors to the Steering Committee, representing different stakeholder interests and spheres, including the public, civil society, and other sectors.

    The Secretariat seeks to make decisions based on a consensus model. When consensus cannot be reached, a simple majority vote decides matters. In practice, many of the initiative’s decisions are taken at endorser meetings at conferences. The Mandate is also guided by working groups associated with each of the initiative’s focus areas, which provide an opportunity for endorsing companies and key stakeholders to shape the direction of projects and focus areas.

  3. What companies currently endorse the CEO Water Mandate?

    A list of CEO Water Mandate endorsers.
  4. What is required of companies that endorse the CEO Water Mandate?

    The Mandate welcomes both water stewardship leaders and learners. As endorsers of the Mandate, Chief Executive Officers commit their companies to implementing the six elements of the Mandate – Direct Operations, Supply Chain and Watershed Management, Collective Action, Public Policy, Community Engagement, Transparency – through individual and collective efforts. As part of this commitment, companies disclose annually by means of a Communication on Progress – Water report that describes the ways in which they are implementing the Mandate elements. To endorse the Mandate, companies must also be current signatories of the UN Global Compact. That’s it!
  5. Does endorsing the CEO Water Mandate indicate that a company is a top water performer?

    No. The CEO Water Mandate is a leadership platform, a call to action, and an aspirational pledge to pursue the initiative’s six core elements. The initiative is endorsed by a wide range of companies — some with advanced water policies and practices, some just beginning their journey toward being water stewards. Ultimately, the Mandate is designed as a platform for companies to share practices and policies, discuss complex issues, identify practical solutions, and collaborate with stakeholders to advance more sustainable water management.
  6. Can companies be de-listed from the CEO Water Mandate?

    Yes. The UN Global Compact has and will continue to de-list endorsing companies if they fail to fulfill their UN Global Compact obligations or meet the Mandate’s annual Communication on Progress — Water reporting requirements. With respect to accountability, the CEO Water Mandate is governed by the UN Global Compact’s Integrity Measures.
  7. Is my company eligible to endorse the CEO Water Mandate?

    Companies endorsing the CEO Water Mandate must be (or become within six months) members of the UN Global Compact. The Mandate seeks to build an international movement of committed companies, both leaders and learners. In this spirit, the initiative is open to companies of all sizes and sectors, from all parts of the world, and at any stage in their water stewardship journey.
  8. What does my company need to do to endorse the CEO Water Mandate?

    A company wishing to join the initiative should indicate their endorsement of the CEO Water Mandate and its six elements by submitting a letter, signed by the Chief Executive Officer, to ceowatermandate@unglobalcompact.org. Companies that are not already participating in the UN Global Compact have a six-month grace period subsequent to their endorsement of the Mandate to become UNGC signatories.

    A template sign-on letter can be found here.

  9. How can my non-business organization or government agency support the CEO Water Mandate as a stakeholder?

    The CEO Water Mandate pursues a multi-stakeholder approach to water stewardship. It highly values input from stakeholders from all sectors of society. Stakeholders support the Mandate by participating in its conferences and providing feedback on projects as they evolve. Non-business organizations cannot endorse the Mandate.
  10. What happens at CEO Water Mandate events? How often do they occur?

    The CEO Water Mandate holds periodic events that convene endorsing companies and stakeholders from the public sector, civil society, academia, and other sectors to discuss critical water challenges and identify practical solutions. The goal of the conferences is to foster innovative thinking and solutions to complex water challenges. As such, an effort has been made to keep the gatherings at a size that allows for a manageable facilitated group discussion (i.e., less than 100 people). To date, invitations to working conferences have been limited to Mandate-endorsing companies and the roughly 300–400 key stakeholders that are currently in the Mandate’s contacts database.

    The Mandate typically holds one major working conference annually, coinciding with Stockholm World Water Week in late-August or early-September, as well as additional, smaller workshops in river basins around the world.

Search

About

  • What is the Mandate?
  • Endorsing Companies
  • Governance
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • News

Learn

  • What is Water Stewardship?
  • The Business Case
  • Water Stewardship Toolbox
  • Water Stewardship University
  • The Water Stewardship Journey
  • NPWI (Net Positive Water Impact)

Newsletter

Sign up for our mailing list

Updates on water stewardship news, tools, capacity building resources, and more

Join a webinar
Sign the commitment

UN Global Compact


QUICKLINKS

  • The Ten Principles
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • Our Participants
  • All Our Work
  • What You Can Do
  • Careers & Opportunities
  • Submit Your COP
  • Water Resilience Coalition

About the Mandate

  • What is the Mandate?
  • Endorsing Companies
  • Governance
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • News
Tweets by H2O_stewards

United Nations | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Copyright

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Sign the Commitment
  • Get Involved
    • Endorse the Mandate
    • Water Resilience Coalition
    • WASH4Work
    • Events & Webinars
    • Newsletter
  • About
    • What is the Mandate?
    • Endorsing Companies
    • Governance
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • News
    • Strategic Partners
    • Annual Reports
  • Learn
    • What is Water Stewardship?
    • The Business Case for Water Stewardship
    • NPWI (Net Positive Water Impact)
    • Water Stewardship University
    • Water Stewardship Toolbox
    • The Water Stewardship Journey