World Business Council for Sustainable Development
From WaterWiki
| About | UN-Water | edit |
| Chair | World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) | UN-Water Zaragoza Office | UN-Water Bonn Office | ||
| UN-Water member organizations: FAO (FAO Water) | IAEA | WMO | IBRD (World Bank) | IFAD | UNESCO (UNESCO-IHE / UNESCO-IHP) | UNCCD | WHO | UNICEF | UNHCR | UNDP | UNEP | UNECE | UNESCAP | UNECLAC | UNESCWA | UNECA | UN-Habitat | UNDESA | ISDR | CBD | UNU | UNFCCC | UNIDO | UNCTAD | UNWTO | ||
| UN-Water Partners: World Water Council | WSSCC | SIWI | ICID | IAH | IWMI | IWA | Ramsar | GWP | IUCN | PSI | IAHS | WBCSD | AquaFed | UNSGAB | ||
| UN-Water Task Forces: UN-Water Country-level Coordination TF | UN-Water Capacity Building TF | ||
| Key UN-Water Resources: Water Monitoring (Monitoring Task Force report - Aug 08) | | ||
| Related WaterWiki-resources: The 2nd UN World Water Development Report: 'Water, a shared responsibility' | 4th World Water Forum - Mexico | 5th World Water Forum | Water Monitoring | ||
| Key External Links: About UN-Water | About WWAP | World Water Development Report (WWDR) | ||
|
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) | |
| Global | |
| Sustainable development | |
Beatrice Otto
| |
| WBCSD Home Page |
Description
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development. The Council provides a platform for companies to explore sustainable development, share knowledge, experiences and best practices, and to advocate business positions on these issues in a variety of forums, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations.
Members are drawn from more than 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. The Council also benefits from a global network of about 55 national and regional business councils and regional partners.
The Council’s objectives are to:
- Be a leading business advocate on sustainable development;
- Participate in policy development to create the right framework conditions for business to make an effective contribution to sustainable human progress;
- Develop and promote the business case for sustainable development;
- Demonstrate the business contribution to sustainable development solutions and share leading edge practices among members;
- Contribute to a sustainable future for developing nations and nations in transition.
In order to achieve this, the Council focuses on four key areas:
- Energy and Climate
- Development
- The Business Role
- Ecosystems
In addition, WBCSD has 3 projects/initiaties on the following topics:
- Energy Efficiency in Buildings
- Water - Since 1997, the WBCSD has been active on water because water has been increasingly recognized as a key factor in sustainable development. Also, there is a general expectation that business (as a whole, not just the water sector) should play a wider role in addressing water-related environmental, social and economic development challenges. Today, the WBCSD’s Water Project seeks to clarify and enhance business understanding of key water issues and drivers; promote mutual understanding between the business community and non-business stakeholders on water management issues; and provide tools and models to support effective business action.
- Capacity Building
Mission/Mandate
The mission of the WBCSD is to provide business leadership as a catalyst for change toward sustainable development, and to support the business license to operate, innovate and grow in a world increasingly shaped by sustainable development issues.
Information Resources/Tools/Materials
Global Water Tool
The WBCSD’s Global Water Tool, launched at World Water Week Stockholm (2007), is a free and easy-to-use tool for companies and organizations to map their water use and assess risks relative to their global operations and supply chains. Click Here to find out more and use the tool
Publications
- Business in the world of water: WBCSD Water Scenarios to 2025 (19 views) . . Katy.norman
- Collaborative Actions for Sustainable Water Management (17 views) . . Katy.norman
- Water Facts and Trends (14 views) . . Katy.norman
Work on the Ground
The following water and sanitation-related programmes are being/have been undertaken:
Autovias's Waterway (Via des Aguas) program aims to mitigate the impacts of its roadways on water resources in Brazil's Guarani aquifer recharge zone. In order to find a solution to prevent water damage during the rainy season, Autovias has developed an ambitious project that collects water on the highway's surface and directs it towards the aquifer.
Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, three are directly linked with sanitation: reducing child mortality, combating diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Although much has been achieved over the last decade, the sanitation picture is still dismal in South Asia. Only 39% of the population in the region has adequate sanitation facilities.
Many areas of Indonesia lack adequate sanitation and this is particularly the case in rural areas. Efforts to address this situation have been increasing over the last few years, and a change in policy direction by the government of Indonesia has influenced the approach to the problem. An emphasis on decentralization of services and a demand-driven response have directed much of the activity to the communities themselves.
Mining operations need water to extract valuable minerals from hard rock and process them into usable forms. BHP Billiton has developed a project to reduce water consumption by optimizing water recovery and recycling and substituting poor-quality local groundwater in some areas.
Due to its tropical and monsoonal climate, northern Australia often experiences an excess of water that occurs less frequently in southern Australia. Rio Tinto Aluminium’s Weipa bauxite mining operations in the region have multiple sources of water, each of which has its own associated costs and additional values.
Apia, the capital of Samoa, is the country's economic center. As a result of inadequate sanitation and drainage management systems, near-shore marine water and urban stream water quality in area has been significantly degraded. GHD, in association with Samoan consultants Tinai Gordon & Associates, is implementing a project to improve sanitation in Apia for the government of Samoa.
For a full list Click Here
%DPL-1.7.4-WARNING: No results!
References
See also
External Resources
