AWS Standard V3.0: Global Public Consultation
11 December - 15:00 CET / 09:00 EST
Objectives of the webinar:
Co-organised by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), a new IWRA partner, this webinar introduced the first draft of the AWS Standard Version 3.0 and provided information about how one can actively participate in the public consultation process.
AWS is currently revising the Standard to enhance its practicality, utility, and value. As part of this process, a 60-day public consultation opened on Monday, 14 October 2024 and will close on Friday, 20 December 2024.
We strongly encourage all interested IWRA Members to engage in this process to help AWS strengthen the AWS Standard V3.0. Get started by visiting the AWS website here.
Speakers:
- Lesha Witmer, Vice-President and Chair of the Partnerships & Affiliations Committee, International Water Resources Association
- Tyler Farrow, Standards Manager, Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) (Click here to view the presentation).
Moderator:
- Dr Faith Lawrence, Head of Policy Engagement, Alliance for Water Stewardship.
Background:
The AWS Standard offers a credible, globally-applicable framework for major water users to understand their own water use and impacts, and to work collaboratively and transparently with others for sustainable water management within the wider water catchment context. The Standard is intended to drive social, environmental and economic benefits at the scale of a catchment.
It achieves this by engaging water-using sites in understanding and addressing shared catchment water challenges as well as site water risks and opportunities. It asks water-using sites to address these challenges in a way that progressively moves them to best practice in terms of five outcomes: good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality status, important water-related areas, and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
The recent draft of the AWS Standard V3.0 seeks to increase the Standard’s:
- Practicality: Streamlining the AWS Standard for companies to implement cost-effectively at scale.
- Utility: Supporting alignment with wider sustainability agendas and priorities.
- Value: Strengthening integration with corporate-level reporting.
IWRA Webinars constitute an additional resource designed to help our members, academics, dedicated practitioners, and policy professionals further explore these and other timely themes engaging in fruitful discussions, also aligned with the international water agenda and in close collaboration with key partners.
