Momentum for real action on water and freshwater ecosystems
The UN Water Conference concluded with 700 commitments from governments, companies, and civil society. While these are non-binding, they have the potential to dramatically accelerate action on water and freshwater ecosystems. Critically, they signal a transformation in attitudes to water and unprecedented momentum that we must capitalize on.
Connecting water, nature, and climate
The connection between water, nature, and climate is critical and resonates broadly. One of the central themes throughout the conference was the importance of freshwater ecosystems in climate adaptation and resilience, and the urgent need to scale up transformational nature-based solutions. WWF helped organize and lead an event on radical collaboration for resilience with the CEO Water Mandate—a special initiative established in 2007 by the UN Secretary-General and the UN Global Compact (UNGC) to advance corporate water stewardship around the world—and other major UN groups representing Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, farmers, and businesses. We also premiered our short film, Journey of Water – New York: From the Catskills to the City, showing how NY has invested in healthy watersheds and freshwater ecosystems to secure its water supply and benefit people and nature.
Launch of the largest river and wetland restoration initiative in history
Initiated by WWF, the Freshwater Challenge was launched at a high-level session hosted by the governments of Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Gabon, Mexico, and Zambia with the aim to restore 186,411 miles of degraded rivers and more than 864 million acres of degraded wetlands by 2030.
More coherent and structured approach to corporate collective action
A variety of events brought the water stewardship community together to drive a more united approach to ensure greater impact, including signing up for joint policy asks to accelerate public-private collaboration on water. These events featured a wide range of partners, from governments to global institutions, companies, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples, ensuring a diversity of perspectives and knowledge was shared.
