Building Momentum for Corporate Water Stewardship: CEO Water Mandate and Water Resilience Coalition Participation at New York Climate Week and UN General Assembly 80

by Jason Morrison; Head, CEO Water Mandate and President, Pacific Institute 

Key Takeaways  

  • Water resilience is increasingly recognized as a core element of business strategy. 
  • The CEO Water Mandate and Water Resilience Coalition convenings at UNGA80 and Climate Week catalyzed stronger corporate alignment and commitment, turning dialogue into pathways for Collective Action. 
  • The UN Water Conference in December 2026 will serve as a key platform to showcase progress, deepen engagement, and contribute to building a water-resilient future. 

As world leaders, companies, and changemakers gathered in New York for Climate Week and the 80th United Nations General Assembly, one message came through loud and clear: Water resilience is at the core of business strategy. 

If current practices continue, it is expected that by 2030, the world’s freshwater demand will outstrip supply by 40%.  Achieving the transformation our world needs will require the collective commitment of a critical mass of companies. The good news is that momentum is building, as more businesses than ever are taking action to drive meaningful change. 

The CEO Water Mandate: Driving a Critical Mass of Corporate Action 

2024 and 2025 have been years of remarkable growth for the CEO Water Mandate, with membership nearly doubling. The Mandate’s events during UNGA80 brought together members and partners from across sectors to drive faster, more ambitious corporate action on water. 

Supported by our event sponsors, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) and Veolia, the gathering featured thought-provoking panels, open discussions, and valuable networking, all focused on turning ambition into measurable results. For Mandate members, new opportunities were also presented to deepen engagement and scale impact. 

Throughout the week, the CEO Water Mandate hosted a series of events, including the New York edition of WaterLogues, convened in collaboration with the Alliance for Corporate Water Stewardship and WWF. 

Water Resilience Coalition: Corporate Leadership for a Water-Resilient Future 

One of the highlights of the week was the CEO Circle Meeting of the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC)—the leadership initiative of the CEO Water Mandate for companies that are ready to take their water strategies many steps ahead. The event was kindly sponsored by AB InBev and Ecolab. 

During the week, the WRC also convened global finance experts to advance collaboration on water investment and accelerate basin-level collective action. 

Today, the Coalition includes 41 member companies representing over $5 trillion in market capitalization, with a $1.7 billion water investment pipeline developed alongside partners.  

The Coalition’s ambitious goal is to build water resilience in 100 priority basins by 2030, supporting more than 300 million people. So far, WRC members have helped 62.8 million people gain improved access to water and sanitation, conserved and restored 261,000 hectares, and mapped 399 collective actions across critical watersheds. 

The WRC shows that when companies act together, they achieve results at scale. 

Looking Ahead 

As we look to the future, the CEO Water Mandate and the Water Resilience Coalition will continue building on this momentum, transforming commitments into collective impact and advancing a water-resilient future for communities, the environment, and businesses. 

The UN Water Conference, taking place in December 2026, will be another important milestone in advancing corporate water stewardship worldwide. 

author avatar
CEO Water Mandate
The Mandate is a commitment platform for business leaders and learners to advance water stewardship. Endorsing companies commit to action across six key elements and report annually on progress. The Mandate Secretariat - a partnership between the UN Global Compact and Pacific Institute - supports the initiative’s mission and endorsing companies in many ways, including: (1) developing research, guidance, and tools that advance corporate water stewardship, (2) convening multi-stakeholder events to identify, explore, and solve key water challenges, and (3) facilitating meaningful collective action to improve conditions in at-risk river basins around the world.