The closing plenary of the World Water Week earlier today got us extremely energized – which is no easy task on the last day of a very intense and busy week. Peter Bakker, President of the WBCSD, underlined that water is the language the planet uses to talk to us. Any crisis you look at, be it the melting of the arctic ice, floods, droughts, increasing food prices, everything is related to water. Speaking to an audience of practitioners, academics, businesses, young people and many others, he made a very strong call to action: to address this crisis we need to scale up solutions. Business is ready and business has examples. But for powerful scaling up we need to collaborate. Next year’s water theme is collaboration. WBCSD will be a committed partner in the effort to bring business solutions to the game. Listen to him in the following video:
We heard from Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, that women and girls are critical beneficiaries and enablers of water and food security. The latter, together with gender empowerment, must be a key part of the upcoming sustainable development goals if we want to stop generational transmission of poverty and disempowerment.
The WASH Media Awards rewarded 6 journalists from developing and high income countries who tirelessly write, draw, and broadcast stories from people most affected by the lack of access to safe water and sanitation. They give them a voice and by doing so support them in believing that they have the power to ask for change, and to make change happen.
Mr. Luca di Mario and Ms. Olimar Maisonet-Guzmá, speaking in the name of the young water professionals group, shared their vision of a world in 2050 where each citizen – be they from business, civil society, academia, or having any other role in society – is held accountable for his/her choices and actions. Young people today are not naive they said, they are adapting idealists with a big vision and willingness to bite into water solutions and implement them.
Opportunities are never lost. Others will take the ones we miss. Progressive businesses live by that rule. Get your hands and feet dirty and just do it, young water professionals concluded this morning. I don’t only agree with them. It is my deep belief that there’s no other choice and that we’re ready. We are going to do it and we would like to do it together with you.
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