Apr 10 – CEO Water Mandate Convenes Fifth Working Conference
(New York, 16 April 2010) – The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate convened its fifth working conference on 14-16 April in New York City — an event that drew more than 75 senior representatives from business and finance, civil society, the public sector, the United Nations, and other interests.
Taking place at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, the conference featured a number of multi-stakeholder panels and discussions on topics including:
- Water and Public Policy
- Water and Human Rights
- Water and Disclosure
A special focus of the event was the CEO Water Mandate’s draft Guide to Responsible Business Engagement on Water Policy. Developed in partnership with the Pacific Institute and WWF — and funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and GTZ — the draft Guide seeks to elucidate the contours of water policy, while establishing principles and modalities for responsible corporate engagement.
The draft Guide has been issued for public consultation (click here). Stakeholders are encouraged to provide inputs and feedback by 7 May 2010.
“This conference marked yet another milestone in the growth and development of the CEO Water Mandate”, said Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact. “This multi-stakeholder event brought together the world’s leading experts and practitioners on the topic of water stewardship, particularly as it pertains to public policy issues. And related, we encourage stakeholders around the world to provide their comments on the draft Guide”.
Launched by the UN Secretary-General in July 2007, the CEO Water Mandate has been endorsed by approximately 75 companies from a range of industries and sectors.
A report of the conference will be issued in the coming weeks.
Contact
Gavin Power
Deputy Director
UN Global Compact
powerg@un.org
Jason Morrison
Program Director
Pacific Institute
jmorrison@pacinst.org
