17 Innovators Highlight Investment to Solve Global Water Challenges
Seventeen organizations have joined forces to support the United Nations (UN) Water Action Agenda, pledging to invest $11 billion in water innovation over the next five years.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230322005481/en/
Innovators highlight investment to solve global water challenges (Photo: Business Wire)
The collective commitment will be announced later today at an event organized by water technology company Xylem (NYSE: XYL) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, convened during the UN 2023 Water Conference. The pledges will be included in the Water Action Agenda, a collection of all water-related commitments to accelerate progress on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 targeting Water and Sanitation.
Executives from Xylem, Veolia, XPV, Hydraloop International, and Hansgrohe will be joined by several nonprofit organizations, to pledge their commitment to invest in innovative water solutions. The funds will be directed toward water-related research and development, start-up companies commercializing innovative approaches to water management, and the deployment of new water technologies. The organizations will also commit to ongoing engagement with development agencies, governments, and other stakeholders to facilitate more cross-sector action to solve water challenges.
“Most of humanity’s challenges today stem from our reliance on water, whether for human life or, on a larger scale, economic well-being and prosperity of society,” said Henk Ovink, Water Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. “We all need it, but in some places there is too much and in other places there isn’t enough. As significant water investors and users, the private sector has a pivotal role to play. The organizations pledging their commitment today are at the forefront of bringing new innovations to water use, treatment, and recycling. This type of collective action is essential to tackling major water challenges, and to creating a sustainable planet for future generations.”
The commitment from the private and philanthropic sectors to invest in water solutions supports the UN 2023 Water Conference’s call for clear pledges and actions, across all sectors, industries, and interests to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“For those who can simply turn on a tap, water may not seem like a problem,” said Patrick Decker, CEO of Xylem. “But the UN 2023 Water Conference is a timely reminder that water challenges are intensifying around the world. The organizations making commitments today recognize these are challenges we can and must solve. Many of the essential technologies already exist, but as climate change progresses, we need more innovative solutions and accelerated implementation to increase the resilience and water-security of communities everywhere.”
The inclusion of the private sector in the UN 2023 Water Conference, the first event of its kind since 1977, has been welcomed as essential in developing an impactful Water Action Agenda. The conference brings together stakeholders from across governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions, and the scientific community to advance transformative ideas that can solve global water challenges.
Organizations contributing to the pledge include Acciona, Autodesk, BlueTech, Burnt Island Ventures, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Evoqua, Grundfos, Hansgrohe, Hydraloop, Idexx, UGSI Solutions, Veolia, Water Foundry Ventures, Wavin, Westly Group, XPV and Xylem.
The event - Private Sector Investment Commitment to Water Innovation - will convene technology innovators, investors, government, civil society, and development agencies to consider the role of innovation in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Organized by Xylem and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York, the event will be hosted in partnership with Bluetech Research, Burnt Island Ventures, Evoqua, the International Water Association, Mercy Corps, UNICEF, the Water Foundry, Veolia, the WateReuse Association, and the Water Research Foundation.
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving critical water and infrastructure challenges with innovation. Our more than 17,000 diverse employees delivered revenue of $5.5 billion in 2022. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management, and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us at www.xylem.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230322005481/en/
Contact information
Houston Spencer
+1 (914) 323-5723
Houston.Spencer@xylem.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
“ All Genetic Diseases Could be Cured within a Decade ” , Hears Dubai Future Forum20.11.2025 15:15:00 EET | Press release
All known genetic diseases could be cured within the next decade thanks to major advances in gene editing, a leading scientist told the Dubai Future Forum 2025. Discussing his company’s research, Dr. Trevor Martin, Co-founder and CEO of Mammoth Biosciences, described “a one-time cure that will reshape the healthcare system as we know it.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120548681/en/ Dubai Future Forum 2025 (Photo: AETOSWire) Opening the forum, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, introduced the concept of “national cognitive potential”, arguing that countries in the future will gain a competitive edge in fields like AI by leveraging the collective cognitive strength of their societies. In another session, Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, said there is a “good chance” humanity will discover life on another planet—possibly in the next decade. He exp
Cassidy Bio Launches with the Goal to Develop Safer, More Scalable Gene Editing Therapies20.11.2025 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Cassidy Bio, a biotechnology company developing the first AI-driven genomic foundation model to enhance the design of gene editing therapies, today announced its launch and the closing of an $8 million seed financing round. The company will use the funding to advance its platform, built as a holistic solution designed to bring precision, speed, and clinical confidence to the rapidly growing field of gene therapies. Cassidy Bio’s AI-driven genomic foundation model combines proprietary wet-lab data, population-scale genomic insights, and advanced machine learning to predict the best pairings of guides, enzymes, and delivery modalities, matching them to optimal therapeutic contexts. This creates a scalable capability that supports an end-to-end workflow for genome editing at scale. By moving from siloed trial-and-error to a holistic, predictive approach, Cassidy aims to accelerate the discovery and development of safer, more reliable genetic medicines. “The promise of genome editing will
12 Major Verification Trends in 2026: Regula on the Birth of a New Digital Identity20.11.2025 15:00:00 EET | Press release
How we verify is changing — and so is who and what we verify. Are we dealing with real people, fraudsters, or machines acting on their behalf? A new Regula report on 12 identity verification trendsexamines how these shifts are forcing businesses to rebuild their verification processes to stay ahead of fraud, comply with regulations, and regain eroding customer confidence. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120373343/en/ Identity is leaving the human domain: Regula’s forecast illustrates the emerging need to verify systems, autonomous agents, and machine customers. The new face of fraud The identity threat landscape has entered a new industrial phase, defined by three structural shifts: Machine identity. Identity verification (IDV) is no longer limited to people. It now extends to autonomous systems acting on their behalf — AI agents that can open accounts, submit documents, and bypass checks on their own. Frau
Scientist.com Completes Acquisition by GHO Capital Partners to Accelerate Global R&D Orchestration20.11.2025 14:55:00 EET | Press release
Scientist.com, the life sciences industry’s leading AI-enabled R&D orchestration platform, and GHO Capital Partners LLP (“GHO”), the specialist private equity investor in global healthcare, today announced the successful closing of GHO’s acquisition of Scientist.com. The transaction marks the beginning of an accelerated expansion phase, strengthening Scientist.com’s mission to transform pharmaceutical R&D by streamlining the entire outsourced research lifecycle. “This is a pivotal moment for Scientist.com and for the global research community we support,” said Kevin Lustig, CEO and Chris Petersen, CTO, the founders of Scientist.com. “Partnering with GHO, a team that shares our vision and brings deep expertise in scaling healthcare technology companies, enables us to invest aggressively in our AI-powered orchestration platform and expand our global footprint. Together, we are better positioned than ever to meet growing demand for faster, smarter and more compliant research sourcing.” Fo
SimpliStor™ Solid State Data Recorder Delivers High-Speed, Radiation-Tolerant Storage for Next-Generation Space Missions20.11.2025 14:00:00 EET | Press release
Frontgrade™ Technologies, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic solutions for space and national security missions, today announced the release of the SimpliStor™ Solid State Data Recorder (SSDR), a next-generation, radiation-tolerant data recorder that gives satellite operators, system integrators, and spacecraft designers a faster, smarter, and more resilient way to capture and protect mission-critical information in orbit. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120514203/en/ Frontgrade's SimpiStor™ 2.5TB Solid-State Data Recorder High-Throughput Performance SimpliStor delivers 2.5 terabytes of storage and 10Gbps throughput in a compact 3U SpaceVPX package, combining exceptional performance with low power consumption. Users can record more data in less time, with latency under 100 microseconds and continuous “store-to-full” recording, ensuring no data loss during peak operations. A 33-minute continuo
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom