Women + Water Collaborative initiative launched by WRC

By: WE Staff | Friday, 20 October 2023

The Women + Water Collaborative, a flagship corporate collective action program to improve access to clean water and sanitation in India was launched today by the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC), which is an industry-driven CEO-led initiative convening global companies to address the global Water crisis.

Gap Inc., Cargill, and GSK will start a program to advance livelihoods, healthcare, and climate resilience in water-stressed communities in India that will start from the Krishna and Godavari basins. These two firms have partnered with WaterAid and the Water Resilience Coalition to launch the initiative. The WRC is a CEO Water Mandate initiative, a collaboration between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute.

Companies from apparel, biopharma, and agriculture have partnered to improve access to clean water and sanitation in communities. This follows the USAID Gap Inc. Women + Water Alliance's success in India which led to the empowerment of over 2.4 million people who received fresh water and improved sanitation in the years 2017 to 2023. It is a part of 21 collective action projects in 15 basins across Asia, Africa, South America, and North America. The WRC aims to develop 100 priority basins by 2030.

The Women + Water Collaborative aims to enhance water availability and quality in priority river basins through rainwater harvesting, providing safe drinking water and climate-resilient sanitation services, and leveraging women's leadership to improve Water security and equitable access for communities. This program also aims to improve water resilience, security, and access to sanitation for rural India's women, despite their low participation in decision-making around Water resources.

Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact and Co-Chair of the WRC states that the companies in the Forward Faster Water Resilience Target and Water Resilience Coalition have allied to achieve the World Resources Council's 2030 goals.

Dan Fibiger, Head of Global Sustainability for Gap Inc. mentions that the Women + Water Collaborative, based on Gap Inc.'s history of collaboration with nonprofits and the public sector, aims to drive meaningful impact in communities fueling global supply chains.

The Water Resilience Coalition's flagship program shows progress in achieving water security for 3 billion people and equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for over 300 million people by 2030.

WaterAid plans to launch a water program in five Indian states and six priority districts, to expand its reach through additional corporate partners. The NGO emphasizes global collaboration and collective action for sustainable development goals.