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Who we are

Who we are

We envision a world with enough safe water for people, environment, and economy.

We envision a world with enough safe water for people, environment, and economy.

The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) is a unique public, private, civil society partnership. It is hosted by the World Bank Group. With more than 1,000 partners around the world, our platforms help to drive systemic change and advance transformative leadership of institutions.

Contributing to the Global Agenda

Contributing to the Global Agenda

2030 WRG is committed to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We help countries achieve water security by 2030 (SDG 6) by facilitating collective action on water between government, private sector, and civil society (SDG 17). This commitment is not just to the goals that specifically target water, but also to those that depend on water.

Overall Objectives

Overall Objectives

We develop innovative solutions to water challenges that are fair, practical, and evidence based – and we mobilize finance to support ground-breaking projects.

Our work is guided by two overarching objectives:

#1

Increase global awareness among decision-makers about the role of water for their people, environment, and economies

#2

Help decision-makers to take action for efficient, productive, and sustainable use of water and to close the gap between supply and demand in their countries

Our History and Future

2008
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In 2008, recognizing the opportunity to look at water’s fundamental role in the economy, the World Economic Forum joined forces with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector..

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2008
Incubation
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By the end of 2009, 2030 WRG was incubated within the Forum headquarters in Geneva, with its official launch in Davos in January 2010. The initial goal was to..

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Incubation
Demonstration
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When 2030 WRG moved to the IFC, a more formal governance structure was created, composed of its highest governing body, the Governing Council, and..

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Demonstration
Scaling for transformation
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In June 2017, the strategic decision was made to host 2030 WRG in the World Bank Water Global Practice from January 2018. This move reflected 2030 WRG’s journey from being a..

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Scaling for transformation
Accelerating our approach
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2030 WRG is initiating key country initiatives, ‘Accelerators’, which are high-impact, fast-track engagements to address pressing water challenges. It involves collaboration across the World Bank Group, bringing together various..

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Accelerating our approach
Monitoring and Evaluation
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2030 WRG tracks semi-annually key quantitative indicators for each of its country Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs). This allows for an aggregation of the overall contribution..

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Monitoring and Evaluation
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Governance

Governing Council

Open Information

Steering Board

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Secretariat

Open Information

The Governing Council is 2030 WRG’s highest governing body and consists of senior executives of partner organizations, who guide and sign off on the strategic direction of 2030 WRG, help promote 2030 WRG and its activities within their extensive networks, and influence the broader global agenda on water.

Members of the Governing Council
Paul Bulcke
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Paul Bulcke

Chairman, Board of Directors, Nestlé S.A. / Co-Chair, 2030 WRG Governing Council

Juergen Voegele
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Juergen Voegele

Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank / Co-Chair, 2030 WRG Governing Council

Achim Steiner
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Achim Steiner

Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Akinwumi Adesina
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Akinwumi Adesina

President, African Development Bank (AfDB)

Asif Saleh
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Asif Saleh

Executive Director, BRAC Bangladesh

Frank Rijsberman
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Frank Rijsberman

Director-General, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

Gim Huay Neo
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Gim Huay Neo

Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum

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Grethel Aguilar

Director-General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Jai Shroff
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Jai Shroff

Group CEO, UPL Limited

James Quincey
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James Quincey

Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company

James Scriven
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James Scriven

CEO, Inter-American Development Bank Invest (IDB)

Pablo Bereciartua
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Pablo Bereciartua

Chair, Global Water Partnership (GWP)

Tibor Tóth
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Tibor Tóth

State Secretary for Macroeconomics and International Affairs, Government of Hungary

Pemmy Majodina
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Pemmy Majodina

Water and Sanitation Minister, South Africa

Members of the Steering Board are senior practitioners from the same organizations who review and submit the strategic plan and budget annually to the Governing Council. The Board also supervises the Secretariat; approves its plan, budget, and proposed country programs; supervises funding and resource development within countries; and comments on 2030 WRG’s work program. The Board’s members provide significant amounts of time and input to preparing for, participating in, and following up on frequent meetings; making connections in relevant geographies; and supporting their principals in their global agenda roles.

Members of the Steering Board
Gim Huay Neo
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Gim Huay Neo

Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum / Co-Chair, 2030 WRG Steering Board

Saroj Kumar Jha
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Saroj Kumar Jha

Global Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group / Co-Chair, 2030 WRG Steering Board

Michael John Webster
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Michael John Webster

Program Manager, 2030 Water Resources Group

Ferhat Soygenis
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Ferhat Soygenis

Global Head of Communications Operations & Deployment - Assistant Vice President, Nestlé

JÚLIA HORVÁTHNÉ BAGÓ
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JÚLIA HORVÁTHNÉ BAGÓ

Head of Department, Department for Water Diplomacy and Tied Aid Credits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Government of Hungary

Harshal Sonawane
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Harshal Sonawane

Head – Sustainability, UPL Limited

James Dalton
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James Dalton

Director, Global Water Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Michael Goltzman
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Michael Goltzman

Vice-President, Global Public Policy and Sustainability, The Coca-Cola Company

Pablo Bereciartua
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Pablo Bereciartua

Chair, Global Water Partnership (GWP)

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Sumeet Thakur

Global Head of Water, Waste, and Cities - International Finance Corporation (IFC)

In addition to operational activities, the Secretariat organizes fundraising efforts and manages contracts with service providers and consultants who help 2030 WRG implement its programs. The Secretariat also prepares reports, events, outreach, and engagements that lead to 2030 WRG’s MSPs globally and at country levels. While 2030 WRG is hosted by the World Bank, it will continue to operate as a collaborative, broad-based, and neutral platform that brings together public, private, and civil society expertise to create needed transformation in the water sector.
Members of the Secretariat
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Ilyas Zhukenov

Extended-Term Consultant / Kazakhstan Country Coordinator

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David Gachui Wanyoike

Senior Water Resources Management Specialist / East Africa Regional Coordinator

Md Mahady Hassan
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Md Mahady Hassan

Extended-Term Consultant / Bangladesh Country Coordinator

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Ajith Radhakrishnan

Senior Water Resources Management Specialist / India Country Coordinator

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Rochi Khemka

Senior Private Sector Specialist

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Alida Pham

External Affairs Officer / Communications Lead

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Mansoor Kabir

Program Assistant

Michael John Webster
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Michael John Webster

Program Manager

Global Partners

Multilateral and Bilateral Agencies

Multilateral and Bilateral Agencies

Multilateral and bilateral agencies play a critical role in several areas, including representing the public sector and governments in our programs, supporting financial sustainability, and sharing insights on water issues.

Private Sector

Private Sector

Recognizing the importance of building a diversified base of private sector global partners, 2030 WRG is undertaking a focused effort to engage additional private sector partners. Working with its global network and leveraging partner organizations, 2030 WRG’s global private sector partners also contribute to local programs on the ground.

Cooperation with Civil Society

Cooperation with Civil Society

As a multi-stakeholder initiative, an active partnership with civil society organizations is a basic requirement for 2030 WRG. This is more pronounced considering the political sensitivity of water issues in partner countries. 2030 WRG recognizes that a more structured approach to partnering with civil society is needed.

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