The 2024 UN World Water Development Report highlights a stark reality: approximately 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. As climate change exacerbates droughts, this figure continues to climb. Recent initiatives, like the US federal government’s $50 billion allocation to the EPA for improved water infrastructure under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and USAID’s $1.2 billion investment in water security and sanitation across Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa, offer hope. Yet, they raise crucial questions about optimal fund deployment and the role of private investment. How can we scale water conservation, build resilient watersheds, implement storm water capture and reuse initiatives, and catalyze sustainable water management and treatment solutions to maximize impact? What role should corporates play as water users and stewards? How do we ensure equitable access to clean drinking water amidst competition from different industry sectors and high costs of implementing new systems? This panel will bring together corporates, investors, government officials, water conservation experts, and sustainability leaders to chart a financially viable and environmentally sustainable path forward for water security.

Moderator

Gadi Schwartz

Correspondent, NBC News

Speakers

Joey Bergstein

CEO, BlueTriton Brands

Wade Crowfoot

Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency

André Gustavo Salcedo Teixeira Mendes

CEO, Sabesp – Cia. of Basic Sanitation of the State of São Paulo

Melissa Ho

Senior Vice President, Freshwater and Food, World Wildlife Fund

Mary Jane Melendez

Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer, General Mills Inc.