VWI is a follow-up to the UN High-Level Panel on Water which defined five Valuing Water Principles for understanding, managing and valuing water better. A key part of VWI’s mission is to bring together forward-thinking organisations who commit to applying the Valuing Water Principles in practice and sharing their learnings with others.
During this year's World Water Week (at home), on August 25, 2020, leading companies who actively value water in their activities (Danone, Natems and GAP) will share their insights into what this can mean in practice. An expert panel will help identify key learnings from the showcases.
Full panel of participants in the session on valuing water
Each company will pitch their own perspective on valuing water and how they integrate it into their operations. Follow-up questions from an expert panel will then help identify key learnings that are applicable across sectors and industries. Participants will be encouraged to learn from the insights of the showcase presenters and to commit to joining the growing valuing water community by applying the Principles in their own operations.
"We hope these lessons are valuable for Vietnam too. For instance, given the discussions in HCMC to determine a drainage fee. This would reflect how we value clean water and a safe urban environment. A fundamental discussion is whether the values are safeguarded through public water management, through the market mechanism or through smart combinations?", says Laurent Umans, water expert in the Netherlands Embassy.
‘Working with authorities, local communities and river basin commissions to come to a sustainable water use in a whole watershed, goes beyond corporate water accounting’, concluded Ranu Sinha - Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, GWP Sweden, Global Water Partnership - during the WWWeek at home session on Valuing Water.
Sinha encouraged corporate companies to step out of their comfort zones and look beyond their internal water stewardship and protect their water sources with other water users. The session was initiated by the Government of the Netherlands.
