The U.S. Water Partnership (USWP) unites and mobilizes U.S. expertise, resources, and ingenuity to address water challenges around the globe, particularly in the developing world.
What Happened at the United Nations General Assembly?
Throughout the week, heads of state and leaders from the business and civil society communities gathered in New York City for the 68th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting. A number of UNGA events focused on accelerating achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and setting the roadmap on a sustainable development framework beyond 2015.
The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has underscored the importance of partnerships to change the development landscape and mobilize finance, expertise and knowledge to further the MDGs.
Although significant progress has been achieved on providing access to water and sanitation (especially in Asia and in urban areas) the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2013 Update shows progress has been uneven among regions and within countries. Of the 768 million people without access to improved drinking water, 83 percent live in rural areas, and as Map 1 shows, the countries with the lowest rates of access are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 2.5 billion who lack access to sanitation, 71 percent live in rural areas, and as Map 2 shows, the countries with the lowest rates are also primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The MDGs set aspirational targets that leaders from each sector can work towards achieving. U.S. Water Partnership partners The Coca-Cola Company, Global Environment & Technology Foundation, Global Water Challenge, Conservation International, iDE, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Millennium Water Alliance, U.S. Agency for International Development, University of South Florida, WaterAid America, Water Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill, Water for People, Winrock International, World Vision and World Wildlife Fund, have contributed to the success so far in achieving universal water and sanitation access.
The CEO Water Mandate recently held a side event during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit on corporate water stewardship on how the private sector can support the post 2015 MDG development process. Many USWP partners participated in the discussions, including the Alliance for Water Stewardship, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, WaterAid America, World Resources Institute and others. For more information, please visit this website.
U.S. Water Partnership Web Portal Wants to Hear From You!
The U.S. Water Partnership (USWP) wants your input into the development of the USWP Web Portal. You can do so through completing the brief survey available here . This Web Portal is being developed to provide simplified and user-friendly access to the "best of U.S." information and resources for users throughout the developing world. Please provide input that will inform the design and implementation of the USWP Web Portal to allow end-users to use water data to address solutions to their most pressing water challenges and priorities. The deadline for completing the survey is Wednesday, June 5th. For more information, or if you have questions, please contact Brian Banks, at [email protected].
USAID Identifies Goals for a 21st Century Food Assistance Program
U.S. Water Partnership (USWP) member the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS) hosted a senior-level panel on food assistance in April featuring partner U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) framed the discussion by declaring that overcoming global hunger is the starting point for U.S. foreign policy because “nothing is more elemental to the human experience and development than having access to adequate and reliable sources of nutritious food.”
Administrator Shah shared Senator Lugar’s prioritization of food security and identified the challenges and goals for a 21st century U.S. food assistance program. Dr. Shah emphasized the ultimate goal is to transition food insecure communities from dependence to self-sufficiency. Dr. Shah also stressed the U.S. will continue its leadership on food aid that has fed 50 billion people since 1954.
The panel underscored that the policies set after WWII to address food assistance in emergency situations, need a refresh because geopolitics, agriculture, ecosystems and economies have experienced dramatic shifts, which have consequently altered the landscape of food assistance. According to Dr. Shah, “in an increasingly complex world, with extreme ideology, extreme climate, and extreme poverty…we have to be both agile and creative in our response.” The proposed reform focuses on improving flexibility, timeliness and efficiency by allowing the U.S. government to access an array of tools to meet food needs in specific situations around the world. One tool focuses on promoting local procurement, or providing cash vouchers for people in need. This delivers food more quickly to those in need by 98 days and that decreased time lag saves lives. Outdated and inefficient food aid policies not only cost human lives but also are a drain on the U.S. taxpayer. Dr. Shah mentioned inefficient food aid policies cost approximately $219 million over three years according to several studies, including a Government Accountability Office report. The release of President Obama’s 2014 Budget includes food aid reform that extends life-saving assistance to approximately two to four million more people each year while using the same level of resources. To accomplish this, USAID and other U.S. government agencies, civil society, and private sector companies have formed partnerships to identify areas for innovation and link with the appropriate technologies so more people can be reached with nutritious food. The reforms shift food assistance to be more proactive by emphasizing faster and more cost-effective assistance to transition temporary aid to achieve self-sufficient and sustainable food security outcomes.
Water plays a key role to facilitate this shift to more effective and sustainable food aid. For example, the multiple use water service approach, being implemented by USWP members Winrock International and USAID, considers the variety of water uses that include the health, environment and productive aspects for communities. Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is important to food security because if water-borne parasites lead to diarrhea or tropical enteropathy, then children, parents and elders cannot absorb the nutritious food that the food aid reform ultimately provides. Furthermore, food security demands a multi-sectoral response. As the food assistance community answers the challenge to provide nutritious food in response to a growing population and amidst increased natural disasters, political unrest or famines, the USWP can help serve as a critical resource. The Partnership can link the knowledge from research institutes, the innovation and technology from the private sector and the implementation expertise from NGOs in various developing countries to improve the water aspects of food aid.
Following Dr. Shah’s remarks, Ms. Johanna Nesseth Tuttle (CSIS) led a discussion with a distinguished panel including Dr. Helene Gayle (CARE), former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mr. Dan Glickman, Mr. Sean Callahan (Catholic Relief Services), and Congressman Vin Weber (R-MN) on realistic and political implications of food aid reform
On Thursday, March 22nd, the U.S. Water Partnership hosted a reception and ceremony in celebration of World Water Day and its first anniversary. The ceremony featured remarks from Ambassador Hattie Babbitt, Chair of the U.S. Water Partnership, Robert Bailey, President of the Water Business Group for CH2M Hill, and Lieutenant General Jeffrey Talley, Chief and Commanding General of the Army Reserve and welcomed 14 new members to the partnership.
PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Water Partnership’s (USWP) First Anniversary Celebration
U.S. Army Reserve Chief, Lt. Gen. Talley and CH2M Hill’s Bailey Highlight the Value of the U.S. Water Partnership and New Members & Signature Initiatives Announced: During U.S. Water Partnership First Anniversary Celebration
March 22, 2013, Washington DC – Yesterday, during the U.S. Water Partnership’s (USWP) first anniversary celebration at the National Academy of Sciences, Lt. Gen. Talley, Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve, highlighted the critical nature of water to security issues, and discussed the important value of public private partnerships in improving the skills and expertise of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers. The USWP was launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last World Water Day. To date, public, private and civil society sector partners have contributed more than $600 million in financial and in-kind resources to build sustainable solutions through the USWP platform.
Lt. Gen. Talley outlined how the USWP will assist in training U.S. Army Reserve units to hone their technical and logistics skills in clean water access project design and implementation, which will help ensure unit readiness and also scale-up innovative dual-use technologies to implement collaborative solutions. "I am pleased to represent America's Army Reserve this evening and I am eager to begin working with the U.S. Water Partnership, and you, its member organizations, to address global water challenges," Talley said. "We look forward to working with many of you as we meet our training objectives; improve our technical enabling skills in engineering, medical, civil affairs, and logistics; all while assisting U.S. Water Partnership to promote clean water access to people in the developing world."
Bob Bailey, President of CH2M Hill Water, also delivered keynote remarks to the approximately 100 member organization representatives and invited guests. “Sustainable management of water, energy and food resources is critical to the future of our global community, economy and environment,” noted Bailey. The consulting, design-build, operations, and program management company employs 28,000 people around the globe, with gross revenue of $7 billion in 2012. “CH2M HILL has a passion for and commitment to solving water resource management challenges around the world. We support the U.S. Water Partnership because we know it takes a holistic approach and collaboration and action from all sectors of society to create a more sustainable world. We are proud to lend our knowledge, resources and skills as a member of the U.S. Water Partnership as we continue to tackle the pressing, intertwined challenges that face everyone who influences or is influenced by the water cycle.”
Ambassador Hattie Babbitt, Chair of the USWP Steering Committee opened the event with brief remarks on the progress the Partnership has made over the past year and outlined the anticipated direction for the Partnership through 2013.
Ambassador Babbitt said; “The resources, skills, and commitments of these new partners will help spur even more tangible action to address global water challenges; action that would likely not have otherwise happened without the enabling platform of the Partnership.” She listed several concrete activities facilitated through the USWP over the past year, including USWP Signature Initiatives, multi- and bi-lateral partner exchanges and study tours between the U.S. and other national government agencies.
New partners recognized by Ambassador Babbitt included: CH2M Hill, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc., National Heritage Institute, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University, the U.S. Army Reserve, the University of Nebraska Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, the University of South Florida Patel College for Global Sustainability, the University of Texas at Austin Center for Research in Water Resources, Water for People, and Winrock International. The 10 new members bring the total number of USWP partners to 61.
During the event, two new Signature Initiatives were also added to the USWP: 1) The Great Rivers Partnership, proposed by The Nature Conservancy; and 2) the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, proposed by Conservation International and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, together bringing the total number of Signature Initiatives to six. The four original Signature Initiatives include: 1) Multiple Use Services, led by Rockefeller Foundation; 2) Improved WASH Access, led by The Coca-Cola Company; 3) Water Security/Water Risk in South Asia, led by the Skoll Global Threats Fund; and 4) Knowledge Management, led by the Global Environment & Technology Foundation and the U.S. State Department.
Thursday evening’s reception and ceremony kicked-off the USWP’s World Water Day events, which continued into Friday with an all Partners Meeting to discuss further deepening collaboration around projects and initiatives.
For more information on the U.S. Water Partnership, please email Nathan Engle.
The U.S. Water Partnership unites and mobilizes “best of the U.S.” expertise, resources, and ingenuity to address global water challenges with a special focus where needs are greatest. A joint effort of both the public and private sectors in the U.S., the Partnership is supported by more than 60 members including U.S. government agencies, academic organizations, NGOs, water coalitions and the private sector. For more information on the USWP, please visit www.uswaterpartnership.org
World Water Day is held every March 22. Recognized by the United Nations and the global community, World Water Day reminds us that much of the world still faces a global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) crisis, and that it is our urgent obligation to act.
This year’s theme as designated by the UN General Assembly is: International Year of Water Cooperation.
As a testament to this theme, efforts to coordinate events for World Water Day 2013 are taking place across the globe. This year, we are especially excited about events happening around the United States, including: performances, walks for water, social media, forums, learning events, Advocacy Day, and Water Symposia! For more details on each event, see below.
Let’s all help to make every day World Water Day!
March 15: Fountain Valley, CA: WASH Learning Event and Tour
The goal is to raise awareness of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues in anticipation of World Water Day. Tetra Tech will help coordinate a student tour of the Ground Water Replenishment System (GWRS) Facility in Fountain Valley, California. Representative Ed Royce has also been invited to speak.
The tour will be at 8:30 am, with about 30 local college and high school students. Tetra Tech will provide breakfast, during which John Travis of the international NGO Drop in the Bucket will speak on global WASH challenges and solutions.
March 15: Springs Preserve, NV Cirque du Soleil 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk
The week before World Water Day will start off with the Run Away with Cirque du Soleil 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk with all proceeds going to the Springs Preserve, a natural park and cultural center devoted to commemorating the history of Las Vegas and promoting sustainability.
March 16-24: World Walks for Water and Sanitation
From March 16-24, thousands of people across the globe will walk together to demand political change. The walks will take place around World Water Day, 22nd March, and will build on the success of The World's Longest Toilet Queue in 2010, the World Walks for Water campaign in 2011, and of the World Walks for Water and Sanitation in 2012. Because of these global actions, governments took notice and made promises both nationally and internationally which we now have to make sure they keep.
March 19-20: Boulder, CO: WASH Symposium: New Perspectives in Sanitation
The Symposium will provide a platform for sharing and expanding knowledge in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing contexts. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, and research/project presentations, the symposium provides a valuable opportunity to meet and network with local, national and international actors in the WASH sector and to learn about their past experiences as well as new approaches and perspectives. Guest speakers include Eddy Perez of the World Bank, Ned Breslin of Water For People, Carl Hensman of the Gates Foundation, Bill Bellamy of CH2M Hill, Jonathan Annis of FHI360, Blake McKinlay of iDE, Erica Gwynn of Rotary International and others! Free event but registration required.
March 20: Washington, DC: World Water Day Advocacy Day
Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene and integrated water resource management underlie many U.S. foreign policy priorities. By improving integrated approaches, we can enhance child survival, improve gender equality, protect the environment, and expand education.
Supporters from around the United States will gather in Capitol Hill to educate Congress on international water issues and build support for the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2013.
Beginning with a training session at 10:00 am and ending with an evening reception, this full-day event will raise our voices and make a difference!
March 20: Washington, DC: Embassy of France: A Thirsty World
Today, as the world’s population increases and the impact of climate change worsens, water has become one of our planet’s most precious natural resources. Filmed in 20 countries, "A Thirsty World" reveals the mysterious and fascinating world of fresh water through spectacular aerial images shot in regions that are difficult to reach and rarely filmed, like Southern Sudan or Northern Congo.
"A Thirsty World" will be co-presented by the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capitaland La Maison Française at 7pm at the Embassy of France. Purchase tickets here.
March 22: Las Vegas, NV: ONE NIGHT for ONE DROP
In celebration of World Water Day on March 22, ONE DROP, the non-profit organization established by Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté, will present One Night for ONE DROP. This original production specially created for a one-night-only performance in Las Vegas will feature more than 230 Cirque du Soleil artists and guest performers. To share the experience around the world, the event will be filmed and a 90-minute special will be created. The broadcast will be available for online viewing at ONEDROP.org for seven days only (March 25 to 31) with a donation of $5 or more to ONE DROP. The mission of ONE DROP is to strive to ensure that water is accessible to all, today and forever.
March 22: Washington, DC: USAID World Water Day Twitterfest
USAID E3 Bureau is partnering with the USAID Bureau of Food Security and other experts in a Twitter conversation for World Water Day. #WorldWaterDay @USAID
March 22, Boulder, CO: El Porvenir Happy Hour
Join El Porvenir to celebrate clean water with water trivia, beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres, and friends from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at The Hermsmeyer Home! RSVP: [email protected] or call (303) 861-1499.
March 22, Portland, OR: Last Call at the Oasis film screening
If you are in the Portland area, celebrate World Water Day by viewing the film Last Call at the Oasis at 7 pm the Clinton Street Theater. Learn more about water management, successful water initiatives, and how we can all work together to create and maintain sustainable water resources. Tickets must be purchased online by March 15.
March 22: Washington, DC; Carnegie Institution for Science: La Source
Join at 7:00 pm for a film that follows the Lajeunesse brothers as they work together to rally the support of a group of Princeton students, a Los Angeles-based charity called Generosity Water and the people of La Source to fulfill their dream of improving the conditions of their impoverished village. The film captures the story of one man, empowered by a vision, who was able to ignite the passion of people thousands of miles away to change lives in La Source forever. In Creole and English. Directed by Patrick Shen. Produced by Patrick Shen, Brandon Vedder and Jordan Wagner.
Discussion with filmmaker Patrick Shen and Raymond Joseph, Former Haitian Ambassador to the United States and Founder, A Dollar A Tree For Haiti.
March 23: Los Angeles, CA: World Water Day Awareness Raising
Radio Disney is partnering with Tetra Tech and Drop in the Bucket to host a fun World Water Day awareness event at the 2013 El Segundo Run for Education 5K.
April 9: Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX: Water Symposia
In Dallas, SMU will celebrate its International Humanities Week (April 5-13). This year’s theme is water. WASH Advocates, the Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, Southern Methodist University’s Lyle School of Engineering, and the Bush Institute are hosting a panel on Women and WASH on April 9 from 2:00-3:30 pm CST. It is expected that Former First Daughter Barbara Bush will be a panelist. This panel will be linked live via Webcast to the Atlanta Water Symposium event.
In Atlanta on April 9, CARE, Emory, CDC, Habitat for Humanity, Task Force for Global Health and possibly the Carter Center will hold a panel on Future Trends in WASH from 5:00-6:00 pm EST. The panel will be followed by keynote speaker. The panel and keynote speaker will be linked via live Webcast to the SMU event. In addition, a group of local charter school students will participate in the Water Olympics at Emory to add a student component to the event.
April 22: Washington DC: Walk for Water
The U.S. State Department, in collaboration with USAID and EPA, will hold local “Walks for Water” to celebrate Earth Day.
Drought Preparedness as a Stepping Stone for Climate-Resilient Water and Food Systems
The likely intensification of extreme droughts from climate change in many regions across the U.S. and the world has increased interest among water managers, farmers, development practitioners, researchers, and policy makers to understand the extent to which these changes will impact water resources, harvests, incomes, and livelihoods. Many of these same decision makers are also contemplating the most appropriate choices they can make to prevent, respond to, learn from, and adapt to these impacts. The recently released draft U.S. National Climate Assessment and other reports and studies over the past several years present convincing evidence for taking prudent action to prepare our water and food systems for the increasing challenges from drought that lay ahead.
Effectively addressing this particular drought began with exceptional monitoring and early warning capabilities established by government agencies over the past decades, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and continued with Secretary Vilsack and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) implementing well-timed response measures to lessen the burden on local communities. Notably, the USDA followed the guidance contained in the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), a doctrine created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security that describes how to organize intergovernmental recovery efforts for national disasters -- the first time officials used the Framework to manage a widespread drought.
This U.S. example from 2012 illustrates the benefits of implementing drought preparedness approaches. Drought preparedness involves monitoring and forecasting, vulnerability/resilience assessments, and planning (both mitigation and response planning). Effectively, drought preparedness offers a mechanism that shifts the emphasis from ad-hoc drought relief and response to proactive risk management. In addition to the more resilient water systems and communities, fewer economic losses, and improved disaster response and recovery, approaching droughts from a drought preparedness perspective provides an important stepping stone for more effectively managing climate change.
As with the phenomenon of drought, climate change operates on longer time scales, is difficult to assign attribution with respect to its impacts, and is generally not well-detected until it is advanced and widespread. While there are obvious differences (e.g., climate change also presents challenges of managing more intense periods of flooding, sea-level rise, and ecosystems shifts, to name a few), the manner in which a nation or community approaches droughts through governance, institutions, and policies offers insight into how a society might approach the problem of climate change. Moreover, the recent widespread manifestation of drought crises around the world provides a window of opportunity to begin evaluating and subsequently improving upon the institutions, processes, capacities, and mechanisms for more successfully managing climate change.
For example, the U.S. preparation for and response to the 2012 drought provides illustrative lessons and learning opportunities. This past December, NIDIS convened the National Drought Forum, which brought together high-level drought program experts and representatives from impacted regions across all levels of government and the private sector to develop a list of ‘action items’ to improve U.S. drought readiness; action items that were significantly informed by the 2012 U.S. experience.
Furthermore, given the many current extreme droughts plaguing nations and communities across the globe (e.g., in Brazil, Mexico, and China), and the rich history of many of these and other nations in dealing with droughts, there is ample room for learning from one another and exchanging good practices and strategies. One such opportunity is the High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) gathering in Geneva this very week that is bringing together scientists, dignitaries, and stakeholders from around the world to discuss the drafting and formulation of national drought policies.
Moving forward, it is important to consider how decision makers can effectively use these windows of opportunity (e.g., the current confluence of droughts and related events and activities) to improve drought and climate change preparedness. It is important to simultaneously place the building blocks for short-term response to increase resilience to droughts, but also the long-term architecture that will ultimately constrain vulnerability. For instance, attempts to improve coordination, manage risk, and ensure food security should focus on supporting local social protection measures, sustaining ecosystem services, bolstering early warning systems, and strengthening financial risk-pooling. These short- and long-term efforts can help ensure that food systems at every level are more resilient to climate change.
Water, agriculture, and climate change are interwoven into so much of the work with which U.S. Water Partnership (USWP) members are involved, and thus, the USWP has an important role to play in improving drought preparedness here at home and also abroad. As evidenced by the HMNDP, drought preparedness and policies are a ripe topic. Developing nations have much to benefit from the U.S. expertise, knowledge, and resources in improving drought preparedness through the HMNDP and other forums, such as the USWP. However, the conversation is not a one-way street. There is a tremendous opportunity for USWP members to also learn from others’ experiences in this realm; taking advantage of the drought events that are before us to more effectively navigate the intersecting issues of water resources management, food security, and climate change.
Dr. Nathan Engle is Director of Communications for the U.S. Water Partnership. He is also consulting as a Climate Adaptation Specialist for the World Bank, where he is leading a multi-country comparative project on drought policy to assist the Government of Brazil.
Dr. Roger Pulwarty directs the Climate and Societal Interactions Division and the National Drought Information System (NIDIS) at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dr. Pulwarty is an author on adaptation in the IPCC AR5, the Special Report on Extremes, and on the UN Global Assessment of Disaster Reduction 2011.
This week, both Dr. Engle and Dr. Pulwarty are attending the HMNDP in Geneva, mentioned above.
PAHO/WHO calls for international funding of new Haiti cholera plan
Haitian government reveals $2.2 billion blueprint for water and sanitation investments to eliminate cholera transmission over the next 10 years
“Today, the Haitian government is giving us the opportunity to do what needs to be done,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne in welcoming the plan, which was announced by Haitian officials today in Port-au-Prince. “For the plan to be implemented, Haiti’s friends in the international community must align their efforts and harmonize around this plan and provide the necessary financial resources.”
The new National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti provides a blueprint for increased investments in water and sanitation infrastructure, water-quality monitoring systems and water and sanitation management. It also includes health measures for prevention, surveillance, and case management; interventions for community-based behavior change; and vaccination for targeted groups against cholera.
The plan calls for US$485.9 million in investments during the next two years.
In revealing the new plan, Haitian Minister of Public Health and Population Florence Guillaume said it reflected “an integrated effort of the entire international community” and called for continued support from Haiti’s partners to help mobilize the resources needed for its implementation.
Dr. Jon Andrus, PAHO DD, Ing. Jacquers Rousseau, Minister of TPTC, Nigel Fisher, UN Representative, Dr Florence Duperval Guillaume, Minister of Health and Polpulation, John Vertefeuille, CDC Haiti and Dr. Marie Guirlaine Raymond Charite, Directrice Générale du MSSP
Cholera has sickened nearly 650,000 people in Haiti and claimed more than 8,000 lives since October 2010. The disease’s spread has slowed since the start of the epidemic, when over 18,000 new cases on average were reported each week (2010). But Haiti continues to record new cases, on average more than 1,500 per week so far this year.
Even prior to the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had the lowest rates of water and sanitation coverage of any country in the Americas. Only 63% of residents had access to improved water sources in 2008, and only 17% had access to improved sanitation. These conditions led to the rapid spread of cholera throughout the country.
The US$485.9 million in proposed investments for the next two years (2013-2015) includes US$81 million for rehabilitation, expansion, and maintenance of drinking water systems, and measures for water quality and emergency preparedness; US$60 million for wastewater and excreta disposal; and US$74 million for capacity building for the National Water and Sanitation Department (DINEPA).
The new plan, developed by DINEPA and the Ministry of Public Health and Population, grew out of a “Call to Action for a Cholera-Free Hispaniola” launched in January 2012 by the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with support from PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In June 2012, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and CDC joined with other organizations to create the Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera Transmission in the Island of Hispaniola, to provide technical expertise and resource mobilization for cholera elimination. The cholera call to action received another boost last December, when United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced US$23.5 million in U.N. funds to support these efforts.
In welcoming the new elimination plan today, PAHO Director Etienne pledged US$500,000 in funds from PAHO/WHO to install water and sanitation connections in primary health care facilities, strengthen care for cholera patients, and promote oral rehydration at the community level.
“We will work with coalition partners to implement this plan, and I call on the entire international community to play your part in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of our Haitian brothers and sisters,” said Etienne in a taped message for the plan’s launch.
PAHO Deputy Director Jon K. Andrus said the new cholera plan is one of several “good news stories in Haiti,” including the introduction of the pentavalent vaccine into the national immunization schedule and progress toward universal immunization coverage. He said the success of the cholera elimination plan would have “a spin-off effect on national economic development, tourism, agricultural production, and overall productivity arising from improvements in the health of the population in general.”
PAHO serves as the secretariat of the Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera Transmission in the Island of Hispaniola, whose 18 members include the CDC, UNICEF, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the International Federation of Red Cross and, WASH Advocates, and others.
Since the beginning of the cholera epidemic, PAHO has provided technical cooperation worth an estimated US$1.5 million and has received and spent some US$25.3 million from other sources to support cholera-related efforts in Haiti. In addition to the US$500,000 announced today, PAHO is allocating US$2.3 million annually from its regular budget to support cholera elimination through technical cooperation in water and sanitation, alert and response, health systems improvements, and health and hygiene promotion.
PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Water Partnership Salutes Winners of U.S. Water Prize
U.S. WATER PARTNERSHIP SALUTES WINNERS OF U.S. WATER PRIZE
DESCRIPTION OF AWARDEES
Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County received the U.S. Water Prize for its Save the Rain program, a combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement/water quality program focused on balancing the use of conventional wastewater/stormwater treatment technologies, with advanced, innovative green infrastructure best management practices.
Rather than advance a costly project ($100 million estimated), County Executive, Joanie Mahoney joined with USEPA and New York State to petition the federal courts to change course and establish a new, more affordable and sustainable CSO abatement program. As a result, the Save the Rain program was born in November of 2009. Federal Justice Frederick Scullin approved a CSO abatement program that allowed the County to change course and advance a program that balanced the use of wet weather storage as well as a requirement to use green infrastructure. It was the first settlement of its kind in the nation to endorse and require green infrastructure as a stormwater management solution.
The Freshwater Trust
The Freshwater Trust is a non-profit, located in Oregon, but working throughout the United States for the last seven years to advance a program that restores rivers and streams. They have created an innovative framework for water quality trading and the project management tools necessary to implement it. Their model and their approach is succeeding quickly and on a larger scale than seen in the past, while at the same time producing new revenue streams to farmers and ranchers.
The program works by calculating and quantifying the ecosystem services nature provides. It then turns them into credits that can be traded and purchased by wastewater treatment facilities and power plants to achieve regulatory compliance on impaired streams and rivers. Their work is done in partnership with water agencies, irrigators, regulators, and farmers and gets away from traditional, costly “built” solutions such as cooling towers for temperature control, or narrowly focused restoration projects on limited acreage. Their approach permits entities to meet their regulatory compliance requirements while creating verified environmental benefits – a “win-win.”
MillerCoors
Beer begins and ends with water. By conducting a “water blueprint” of their total business operations, MillerCoors discovered that more than 90 percent of water use occurs in the agriculture supply chain. This caused the company to focus significant energy and resources in this sector, and as a result they are leading the way in developing and scaling water-efficient farming practices, as part of a comprehensive water strategy.
To understand risks and identify areas for improvement, MillerCoors teamed up with The Nature Conservancy in Idaho’s Silver Creek Valley, a region where much of the beer industry’s barley is sourced. Together, they launched a precision irrigation project to use less water in barley farming without reducing yields. Through the partnership they also developed a Showcase Barley Farm to help demonstrate water conservation practices as a model for other farmers. The water conservation practices piloted at the Showcase Barley Farm are modernizing best practices on barley farms and have applications across the agriculture industry.
President’s Award
In addition to the three U.S. Water Prize winners, the Alliance is also honoring Aaron Salzberg, Special Coordinator for Water Resources in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science Affairs at the U.S. State Department. The President’s Award recognizes Dr. Salzberg for his public service as a U.S. water diplomat, providing environmental and humanitarian assistance to those in need and advancing global water security, at home and abroad.
For more information regarding the U.S. Water Prize, contact Kristyn Abhold at 202.533.1821, or email [email protected].
For more information regarding the U.S. Water Partnership, contact Nathan Engle at 703.379.2713, or email [email protected].
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The U.S. Water Alliance (formerly Clean Water America Alliance) was formed in 2008 as a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization whose goal is to unite people and policies for “one water” sustainability. A broad cross-section of interests has come together through the Alliance to advance holistic, watershed-based solutions to water quality and quantity challenges. www.USWaterAlliance.org
The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), established in 1988, is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based near Washington, DC with a mission to promote sustainable development through partnerships and targeted action. GETF seeks to shape a brighter future for communities and the environment by developing innovative strategic plans, creating high-impact partnerships, introducing new technologies and managing programs that have a lasting and positive impact on the world. GETF serves as the Secretariat for both the U.S. Water Partnership (www.uswaterpartnership.org) and Global Water Challenge (www.globalwaterchallenge.org), which is a coalition of leading organizations committed to universal access to water and sanitation.
The U.S. Water Partnership is a U.S.-based public-private partnership (PPP) established to unite American expertise, knowledge, and resources, and to mobilize those assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the developing world. It is currently supported by more than 50 members including 18 U.S. government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector.
The Coca-Cola Company Endorses WASH Sustainability Charter
100th Endorsement Cements Charter as Key Framework for Lasting Services in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Sector
Washington, D.C, January 16, 2013 - The Coca-Cola Company, one of the world’s largest private sector supporters of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions around the world has signed on to the WASH Sustainability Charter. The first Fortune-500 company to endorse the Charter, The
Coca-Cola Company’s backing marks the 100th endorsement for the Charter, which outlines key steps for creating lasting WASH services.
“The Coca-Cola Company is endorsing the Charter because we believe that investments in WASH initiatives will and should span generations. Through the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), we have always looked to develop supply chains, means of
communication, and a finance stream for communities to be able to sustain the safe water and sanitation systems we help provide, which is one of the biggest challenges facing the water sector,” says Greg Koch, the Director of Global Stewardship in the Corporate Sustainability Office at The Coca-Cola Company. “Signing the Charter strengthens our commitment to enable lasting community ownership and operation of these water access and treatment systems.”
“We are particularly pleased that Coca-Cola, as the private sector's leading champion and funder of WASH programs around the world, has publicly committed to supporting clean water programs meant to be as sustainable as their brand,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge, a lead developer of the Charter.
This endorsement has impacts beyond Coca-Cola’s investments in WASH and underscores the company’s broader commitment to sustainable growth across its businesses. “We can’t talk about climate change, green growth or a sustainable tomorrow without addressing water and sanitation issues today,” said Jae So, Manager of The World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program. "With 2.5 billion people lacking adequate sanitation, the world is in the midst of a water and sanitation crisis. Global businesses recognize this absolute fact and are putting important actions in place today. We applaud Coca-Cola’s recognition and pursuit of the shared value of water and sanitation by endorsing this Charter.”
The endorsement marks a key milestone for the Charter, developed in 2011, and comes at a pivotal time for the sustainability of WASH services around the world. Through SustainableWASH.org (where the Charter is hosted), the principles of the Charter are being translated into action through self-assessment tools, a library, a discussion board, and other resources.
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About SustainableWASH.org:
SustainableWASH.org provides a dynamic hub of the WASH sustainability conversation and hosts the WASH Sustainability Process; a three-step assessment process built on the foundation of the WASH Sustainability Charter and designed to improve WASH sustainability globally. In early 2012, representatives from a consortium of organizations (Aguaconsult, Global Water Challenge, IRC and WASH Advocates) came together to build on previous work around sustainability and create SustainableWASH.org. This website provides a platform to assess, learn, and share best practices related to WASH. By learning and sharing from each other, we can work together to support services that will last into the future. For additional information, please visit SustainableWASH.org or contact [email protected].
About The Coca-Cola Company:
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
Can We Survive Another Sandy? Tufts Institute of the Environment Panel to Asses Resilience to Environmental Disasters
Where: Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC
Who: the Tufts Institute of the Environment, faculty from Tufts and other institutions, high-level practitioners
What: Symposium and breakout workshop at the conference Disasters and Environment: Science, Preparedness, and Resilience put on by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
When: Conference takes place Tuesday through Thursday, January 15th to 17th; Alumni networking reception/happy hour to take place the week of the conference at a DC area venue.
Washington, DC. January 2013
The Tufts Institute of the Environment has brought together scholars and practitioners from around the globe for its symposium and workshop at the 13th annual National Council for Science and the Environment conference in Washington, DC. Nicknamed “DisasterCon,” this year the theme is preparedness and resilience. This event draws a wide range of attendees and presenters from both the public and private sectors, from scientists to conservationists to local government officials. Over 1,200 participants in all, they will come to share experiences, foment new partnerships, and strategize ways to improve the way environmental disasters are dealt with. Registration is currently open for the conference.
The Tufts Institute of the Environment will host two events at the conference, one focusing on the Northeast and the other with an eye to international issues surrounding resilience. According to TIE Administrative Director Antje Danielson, this is because “recent events have laid bare the problematic infrastructural weaknesses in our urban areas in the US. As residents, we are most acutely affected by and aware of these domestic situations, especially in the Northeast. But as we develop this expertise, it’s essential that we share it with other vulnerable coastal areas around the world that are going through rapid development.”
The first is a symposium entitled Coastal Cities: Planning for Resilience, Adaptation, and Sustainability - Lessons from the Northeast and Superstorm Sandy. Panel members include Tufts Political Science Professor Dr. Kent Portney; UNH Civil Engineering Research Professor Dr. Paul Kirshen; Director of the Urban Harbors Institute out of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Jack Wiggin; Director of the New England Environmental Finance Center and the University of Southern Maine School of Public Service Associate Research Professor Dr. Sam Merrill; and Director, NOAA Coastal Services Center Margaret Davidson, J.D.
In this symposium, the panel will consider resilience (disaster prevention and disaster response) from the perspective of vulnerable urban areas along coastal areas confronted with sea level rise, more frequent and severe extreme weather events, and other natural disasters. Given the expertise of the symposium panel members, their insights will focus on cities and communities in the Northeast of the United States.
The experts will tackle the following questions: What do municipalities need to plan for adequate resilience? What does proactive planning and investment in vulnerable communities look like? What are existing best practices that can be translated to the rapidly growing coastal cities of developing countries?
As Hurricane Sandy so deftly proved, the status quo is to perform risk analysis and disaster recovery afterward, rather than risk reduction and prevention beforehand. The symposium panel will bring the perspective of science, city governance, civil engineering, planning, and economics to this topic.
The symposium will provide insights and context for Workshop 4, to take place on the following day, which will take a broad, international perspective to developing strategies for effective responses.
This workshop is entitled Coastal Communities: Planning for Resilience, Adaptation, and Sustainability – Building Resilient Coastal Communities, an International Agenda. During this event, participants will consider resilience from the perspective of disaster prevention in addition to disaster response. While extreme weather events are predicted to increase dramatically in our lifetime, both in frequency and in severity, more careful and prescient planning can prevent communities from the worst of harm caused by such changes, and other natural disasters, and create more sustainable cities for the long-term. But how can rapidly growing coastal cities–especially those in the Global South–prepare for upcoming extreme weather events? This workshop will highlight the opportunity costs as well as potential savings of a resilience strategy based in prevention.
Every year the conference and its side events serve as platform where research directly informs policies on environment-related National security issues. The workshop participants have produced recommendations that brief Federal task forces to consider policy implications. The TIE-led workshop will be an important contribution to the NCSE briefing document.
Perhaps no other sector plays as critical a role in climate change than the water sector. Not only is the hydrological cycle where climate impacts are most immediately visible (e.g., droughts, floods, changes in glacial runoff, etc.), but water also influences (and is influenced by) our energy decisions. In other words, water will be a key factor in determining the success of our efforts to decelerate climate change, and the choices we make in this realm will ultimately influence the availability of high-quality drinking water in the future.
The energy demands for water treatment, delivery, and supply can be enormous, and increasing efficiency for water delivery and use can help reduce the amount of energy expended for supplying and treating water. This approach leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately, less warming of the planet. We also need to consider the water demands of our energy development. The Global Energy Assessment – a six year collaborative effort of more than 500 independent energy experts from the public and private sectors – identifies the “tight linkages of energy systems to land and freshwater use through dependence on water and land resources for energy generation.” Decisions to invest in solar, wind, natural gas, geothermal, and other energy resources all have implications for water. For example, we may want to think again before deploying certain solar technologies that require significant water in a region that is already water scarce (and will potentially become even more so in the future with climate change).
Water, and its availability, is also a critical link to increasing security, fostering good relationships and collaboration between disparate interests, facilitating improvements to food and health, and increasing resilience to natural disasters. A recent National Intelligence Council report states that “demand for food, water, and energy will grow by approximately 35, 40, and 50 percent respectively owing to an increase in the global population and the consumption patterns of an expanding middle class. Climate change will worsen the outlook for the availability of these critical resources.”
Regardless of which direction our leaders decide to move to address climate change, water and the ways in which we manage and develop it, will play an important role in stimulating efficiency and innovation in energy use, determining portfolios of energy choices that do not further stress already fragile water supplies, and securing against risk as the impacts from climate change become more prevalent into the coming century.
The U.S. Water Partnership is playing a particularly important role with respect to these topics, through its Signature Initiatives on water security and risk, multiple use water services, and improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. These initiatives will accelerate scale-up, promote best practices, and build institutional capacity to more effectively manage our water resources and adapt to our changing climate. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit http://www.uswaterpartnership.org.
Dr. Bob Corell serves as Chair of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment and is a Principal for the Global Environment & Technology Foundation. He also serves as a Professor at the University of Tromso and is a senior fellow with the American Meteorological Society. He served as Assistant Director for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation where he had oversight for the Atmospheric, Earth, Ocean Sciences, Polar Programs and the global change programs of the National Science Foundation. He Chaired the U.S. Global Change Research Program for the Federal government.
Water Institute at UNC Highlights Why Households Matter
Two of the USWP’s four goals relate directly to addressing these challenges. First, the Partnership is working to improve the quantity, quality and accessibility of water, sanitation and hygiene to promote better health. Second, USWP aims to increase efficiency and productivity of water use to boost agricultural, energy and industrial output and conserve water.
As a founding member of the USWP, the Water Institute at UNC contributes knowledge in practice, policy, and research. Through the Partnership, the Water Institute is committed to building capacity of nations and organizations to solve water-related challenges.
For more information on the household study, click here. To learn more about the UNC Water Institute, click here.
Dale Jacobson (Governor) has over 40 years experience in water and sanitation, water resources and groundwater issues. He served as President of two globally focused water organizations and on the Boards of several other water related organizations. He organized the role of professional associations’ sessions at the 2nd & 5th Foras and co-founded the Water Associations Worldwide group. For the 6th Forum, he led the planning for the water and food security sessions, participated in water and sanitation sessions, and led the US effort in the Americas Regional Process. He holds Masters Degrees in civil engineering and business administration.
Dr. Daene McKinney (Alternate) University of Texas at Austin Professor of Civil Engineering, co-manages USAID’s High Mountain Glacial Watershed Program, which supports communities that rely on glacial watershed systems and was technical lead of the US-Mexico bi-national Physical Assessment Project to develop improved management strategies for the Rio Grande basin. His research includes impacts of climate change in glacier-dominated river basins, and the application of game theoretic approaches to trans-boundary river basins. Dr. McKinney chairs the EWRI-ASCE World Water Council Activities Committee, participated in the 2nd-6th World Water Forums, and was Editor of the ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
U.S. Water Partnership @uswp - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
