Oxford, England: 11 March 2024 — The 300 Water Leaders Group will host its first global meeting during the London Global Water Summit from April 15-17, 2024. Esteemed CEOs from utilities in the developing world will attend, including industry leaders from more than 30 countries together serving over 220 million people. These leaders, representing some of the world’s biggest megacities such as Manila, Dhaka, Bogota and Lagos, will convene to tackle the most pressing utility challenges through peer-to-peer networking.
Launched during New York UN Water Week and officially inaugurated at the 2023 Global Water Summit in Berlin, the initiative aims to unite 300 utilities worldwide dedicated to raising ambition on SDG6. Members make a pledge to extend their services, with the goal to ensure 300 million more people have access to water and sanitation services by 2030. Utilities also submit a roadmap which outlines transformative strategies to achieve their pledge and the most impressive utility roadmap will be crowned ‘SDG6 Champion’ at the Global Water Awards on April 16. Since the group’s inception, the initiative has conducted regional workshops in Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam, and Mexico. Utilities expressed the biggest challenges they face in achieving SDG6; these learnings have fuelled the agenda of the workshop in London.
About the 300 Water Leaders Initiative:
The 300 Water Leaders network is an official pledge to the UN Water Action Agenda and is dedicated to accelerating financing for water-related projects as well as fostering peer-to-peer solution discussions. Guided by a steering committee of industry veterans and regional champions, the initiative aims to provide inspiration for leadership and a fast-track to finance through the forging of relationships with development finance institutions (DFIs). The group offers utilities a platform for transformational ideas, peer consultation, and celebration of milestones. It inspires leaders and facilitates dynamic change.
Regional workshops kickstarted in 2023:
Regional Workshops commenced in 2023 with the first meeting in Vietnam, which saw collaboration with the newly revived Southeast Asian Water Utilities Network to address utility needs. In Monterrey the 300 Group convened Water Leaders from nine countries to address a 40-year water crisis. The subsequent Abidjan Workshop focused on financing water projects in Africa, emphasising the need for stronger national level policies incentivising utility leaders to align with SDG6.
Next steps:
The 300 Water Leaders Initiative is set to host its next workshop in London during the Global Water Summit, offering utility CEOs and leaders the platform to showcase their roadmaps to SDG6. This gathering aims to spark fresh conversations on achieving faster progress to SDG6 and fostering new ideas for real change. Additionally, the initiative is set to unveil an extensive events programme for the year, including regional meetings, thematic webinars, and access to a knowledge-sharing network.
Organisations and individuals with relevant expertise are encouraged to reach out for collaboration opportunities.
