Why Water Needs Collective Action 2.0
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Business
Collective Action is One of the Key Drivers in a Water Stewardship Strategy, One of the Two Key Components in Aligning Water Strategy toFuel Business Growth
by Will Sarni
While many collective action frameworks and initiatives have been successful and resulted in tangible "boots on the ground" success the question was raised, what's next?
The topic of collective action came up several times with colleagues atWorld Water Weekin Stockholm, which drew to a close on September 5 after a full week of workshops and events. One discussion started over dinner with colleagues from a multinational beverage company and a leading NGO.
That dinner's big question: If we had a blank sheet of paper, what would the next generation collective action framework look like? We didn't come up with an answer, but we did conclude that an answer to the question is worth pursuing.
The major reason we raised the question — "What does collective action 2.0 look like?" — is the increasingly complex "water ecosystem. The water ecosystem is increasingly complex as a result of the need to address the"wicked problem"of the water crisis. The diversity of attendees at the 2014 StockholmWorld Water Weekreflected the diversity of the new water ecosystem. How does this diverse ecosystem break out of silos and come together and more effectively address water scarcity, quality and WASH issues?
This infographic illustrates my take on the water ecosystem. We now have NGOs, multinationals, academic institutions, water technology hubs, collective action frameworks and the public sector addressing a range of water related issues, including business opportunities (water technology innovation).
How do these entities band together to really accelerate solutions to access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene along with securing sustainable and resilient water resources to support economic growth? I believe we need a step forward — version 2.0 of collective action programs — disrupting current thinking and stakeholder relationships, as explained by William Eggers and Paul Macmillan inThe Solution Revolution.
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