The CEOs of 19 of the world’s largest corporations have called on G8 leaders to address the global crisis in water and sanitation during the July 7-9 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Japan.. The business leaders endorsed the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in July 2007.
According to the letter, “It is increasingly clear that lack of access to clean water and sanitation in many parts of the world causes great suffering in humanitarian, social, environmental and economic terms, and seriously undermines development goals … Water is not just an environmental issue – it is a poverty and development issue, an economic issue, and therefore a business issue.”
The business leaders urged the G8 leaders to work more actively with the international business community, through initiatives such as The CEO Water Mandate signed during last year’s Global Compact Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.
CEOs signing the letter to G8 countries represent: Diageo; Hayleys PLC; Hindustan Construction Company; Läckeby Water AB; Levi Strauss & Co.; Liqum Oy; Metito (Overseas) Limited; Nestlé S.A.; Netafim Ltd.; PepsiCo, Inc.; SABMiller plc; Siemens AG; Suez; SunOpta Inc.; The Coca-Cola Company; The Dow Chemical Company; Unilever; Westpac Banking Corporation; WPP.