The House of Representatives’ Water Resources, Drinking Water and Sanitation Commission invited the CCA-MSP to an official ordinary meeting on December 1st to discuss challenges faced by the Mexican water polity and the opportunity represented by the National Water Law reform process in progress. Chaired by the Commission’s President, Congressmen Ruben Gregorio Muñoz Alvarez, it gathered several congressmen and congresswomen from different political parties who voiced their constituencies’ positions and concerns.

CCA President Raúl Rodríguez reflected on the need for the new National Water Law framework to work in favor of water security for all Mexicans, the implementation of the human right to water, and the pursuit of SDGs, amongst other critical topics. Mr. Rodriguez also emphasized the need for this law to represent an authentic “social pact for water”, echoing societal consensuses, galvanizing political will, and mobilizing required financial resources. 2030 WRG –as a member of the CCA– was invited to share some ideas on how to strengthen the water financing system and water allocation. Finally, the CCA team shared the “Normative Principles and Organizational Guidelines for the Mexican Water Sector” position paper.

Rationale

This webinar titled ‘Israeli Circular Economy Solutions and Wastewater Management’ focused on Israeli innovation in wastewater treatment and reuse. We also heard from the World Bank on how such solutions could fit into a broader framework for driving circular economy solutions and improved water quality at the local, regional, and global levels. Featuring Israeli companies, Ayala Water & Ecology and Aqwise, the session touched upon the enabling conditions for technological adoption, business case, scale and replication, and strategies for fostering public-private collaboration for wastewater management.

Presentations were given by

• Eli Cohen, CEO and Founder at Ayala Water & Ecology
• Marc Krieger, Vice President Sales at Aqwise

Chair and moderator
• Patricia Lopez, Senior Water Specialist, World Bank Water

Co-Discussants
• Midori Makino, Lead Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank Water
• Michi Ogawa, Investment Officer, IFC
• Rochi Khemka, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, 2030 WRG

The session was jointly organized by the World Bank Group’s ITS Technology and Innovation Lab, the Water Global Practice, our Israeli counterparts from the State of Israel, and Start-up Nation Central, and 2030 Water Resources Group.

See the recording below

See the presentations here >>

Additional recommended resources:

• Delivering Universal and Sustainable Water Services : Partnering with the Private Sector: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23998
• Learn more about Israeli water technologies through Start-Up Nation Finder Platform: https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/
• Durban reuse project is a good precedent: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/770121521179248609/pdf/124334-19-6-2018-13-8-54-W.pdf
• More on World Bank’s WICER framework: www.worldbank.org/wicer
• Delivering Universal and Sustainable Water Services : Partnering with the Private Sector https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23998
• IFC Water https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/Industry_EXT_Content/IFC_External_Corporate_Site/Infrastructure/Priorities/Water/
• Scaling up water reuse: Why recycling our wastewater makes sensehttps://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/scaling-water-reuse-why-recycling-our-wastewater-makes-sense

See

2030 Water Resources Group (WRG) co-convened the 4^th Farmer-led Irrigation Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on 14 October 2021 at the Capital Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, together with the International Water Management Institute, through The Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Small Scale Irrigation funded by USAID, the Agriculture Water Management Task Force, and the Ministry of Agriculture. The hybrid event, which focused on the role of offtake markets in unlocking small scale irrigation (SSI) investments, brought together virtual and in-person stakeholders including off-takers, financiers, and farmers’ cooperatives to learn about best practices catalyzing farmer-led irrigation.

In Ethiopia, increased demand for irrigated crops is driving up the importance of SSI. However, various factors are limiting small scale farmers’ access to markets, both domestic and international. This makes it challenging to create incentives for farmers and producers to invest in irrigation technologies and water-saving practices and tools.

The workshop, the fourth in a series of dialogues on value chain and market system approaches to facilitate SSI in Ethiopia, identified opportunities and challenges to the uptake of SSI in the context of offtake markets and investigated avenues for strengthening the enabling environment for investment.

Three key take-aways emerged from the morning’s rich discussions:

Understanding marketing channels in the irrigated fruit and vegetable market: Input market actors, producers and output/offtake market actors are key players in the irrigated fruit and vegetable (IFV) market in Ethiopia, which can be grouped into three main channels. The lead-firm channel sees products channeled in a formal way to processors and exporters, mainly targeting the global and high ending markets. The more recent modern channel’s products are channeled through supermarket chains and institutional consumers. In both cases transactions between actors are formalized through a contract or agreement. By contrast, the traditional market channel, which accounts for over 70 percent of fruit and vegetable production across the country, is characterized by low transparency, informal processes, and spot market relationships.

Opportunities and challenges: Favorable agro-ecology, climate, water, and soil conditions for growing a range of fruits and vegetables across the country, and sustained market demand are conducive to the uptake of SSI. Moreover, the irrigation of high-value crops is creating tangible economic benefits for farmers by enabling them to farm more cycles per year, helping to demonstrate the value of SSI. Finally, increasing donor interest in SSI development is creating opportunities for smallholders to access services and technologies and de-risks investment for the various actors involved.

Challenges hindering investment in SSI emerge from a variety of factors. Firstly, the nature of the market system which is dominated by informal processes, price fluctuations, low transparency and unbalanced decision-making power between actors is inherently risky. Meanwhile, limitations in accessing inputs, technology, facilities such as cold storage, financial services and markets make it difficult to ensure a return on investment. Lastly, several policy and institutional barriers exist to do with tax and duty exemption process for irrigation technologies, packaging material regulations, and financial regulations on mobile money transactions.

Roles of offtake market actors in SSI marketing and investment: Offtake market actors have multiple roles in unlocking investments in SSI. Key among them: facilitating access to inputs such as labor, land, seeds, agro-chemicals, and diesel for irrigation pumps; providing loans and other credit services to help finance irrigation technologies; as well as providing technical support and other facilities such as cool chain logistics. Government organizations can help strengthen the enabling environment by enhancing the policy and institutional environment, improving land and sea logistics for exporting perishable products, and by encouraging the development and use of appropriate business models, innovations, and technologies to support off-takers.

The fifth dialogue will take place in early 2022.

IKEA joins the 50L Home Coalition with the vision to make 50 liters of daily water use per person an aspiration for all. The coalition brings together companies, policymakers, innovators, researchers, and communities to develop and scale innovations for efficient water use at home. Currently, the average daily water use per person in Europe is 150 liters, and elsewhere much more.

“IKEA is committed to become Water Positive and by 2030 IKEA will improve water quality and availability of water for people and planet where we have an influence. Today, 15% of our total water footprint comes from the water than runs through the taps and showers we sell in a year. By offering water-saving products that are both attractive and affordable, we have a unique opportunity to nspire and engage with our customers to lower our shared water footprint” says Lena Pripp-Kovac, Chief Sustainability Officer, Inter IKEA Group.

50L Home is a global coalition that brings together companies, policymakers, innovators, researchers, and communities to develop and scale innovations in water and energy use in the home, moving towards making 50 liters of daily water use per person a new reality.

Together with members such as Electrolux, Engie, Kohler, Procter & Gamble, and SUEZ the coalition will identify and co-design solutions to address lack of water, water efficiency, water recycling, and water reuse in the home and in the wider urban water system. To gain insights and pilot solutions, the coalition will engage in ‘city labs’ on different continents.

“IKEA is on its way to developing a water positive home offer, that includes our current range of water efficient taps, showers, and dishwashers, as well as many new truly innovative products to be released in coming years. But we can always do more and working with partners like 50L Home will greatly accelerate our journey” says Tobias Svanberg, Innovation Leader, Water, Inter IKEA Group.

The focus of the 50L Home Coalition is to change the way we use water in cities, looking at products and innovation but also ensuring those innovations are adopted at scale by addressing cultural and regulatory challenges.

“The last ten years, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report has listed water crises, as well as the interconnected natural resource crises, among the top-five risks our world in facing in terms of impact. Two thirds of the world population is projected to live in water-stressed areas by 2025, and as climate change progresses that number will increase. We are assembling a strong team of member and partner organizations with the aim to accelerate access to zero-carbon, safe and sustainable water systems around the world, and are very pleased to welcome IKEA to this group “, says Braulio Eduardo Morera, Director, 50L Home Coalition, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The IKEA water positive agenda focuses on helping customers reduce water consumption and improving the quality and availability of water in the supply chain. Read more in IKEA Sustainability Report FY20.

50L Home Coalition

50L Home is a global action-oriented platform that addresses two of our most pressing global challenges: water security and climate change. The coalition strives to re-invent the future of water and change the narrative on domestic water consumption. To achieve this, it works alongside global industry leaders as well as public institutions and civil society organizations. Its primary objective is to create sustainable solutions that will solve the urban water crisis, enable net zero carbon living, and are affordable for our communities. Currently, average water use in developed countries can be as high as 500 liter per person. This initiative seeks to positively disrupt urban domestic water use and facilitate circular economy solutions, making 50 liter feel like 500 liter. 2030 WRG is a proud member of the Coalition Secretariat. Our engagement is geared towards the development of City-based Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs), developing an action agenda around water conservation and water re-use at the city scale.

Learn more about the coalition here >>

Read an article (on the World Economic Forum website) on the 50 Liter Home: Regenerative business: a roadmap for rapid change >>

Read press release on the joining of the US Green Building Council – LA >>

21 July, 2021 – Lima, Peru. A group of companies received the Blue Certificate during a virtual event organized by the Peruvian National Water Authority (ANA) to recognize business in Peru who contribute to managing their corporate water footprint in a sustainable way.

The Blue Certificate is a recognition granted by the Peruvian National Water Authority (ANA), an entity affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Irrigation and is awarded to companies that meet three requirements: a) measuring their water footprint; b) developing a water reduction plan for their operations; and c) implementing a shared valued project with surrounding communities.

• During the ceremony the following companies received the Blue Certificate for the first time: Compañía Nacional de Chocolates, Huara Power Group, and Minera Condestable.
• Additionally, four companies renewed their certification and commitment to water sustainability: Camposol, Fenix, Minera Buenaventura, and UNACEM.
• Finally, ANA announced that three companies just started the process required to obtain the Blue Certificate: CALIDDA, FERREYCORP, and Industrias San Miguel.

The one-hour event was organized by ANA, with support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Agualimpia NGO, and 2030 WRG. To see the recording of this virtual event (in Spanish), and learn more about the latest Blue Certificate Award, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/autoridadnacionaldelagua/videos/527356241842709/

About the Blue Certificate

Since its inception in 2015, The Blue Certificate has reached 32 companies in diverse regions of the country. To date, the program has helped save about 3 million cubic meters of water and benefited about 50 thousand people through community projects implemented by certified companies. In addition, approximately US$2.5 million has been invested in water footprint reduction and shared value projects.