WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yesterday, during the U.S. Water Partnership’s (USWP) first anniversary celebration at the National Academy of Sciences, Lt. Gen. Talley, Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve, highlighted the critical nature of water to security issues, and discussed the important value of public private partnerships in improving the skills and expertise of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers. The USWP was launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last World Water Day. To date, public, private and civil society sector partners have contributed more than $600 million in financial and in-kind resources to build sustainable solutions through the USWP platform.
Lt. Gen. Talley outlined how the USWP will assist in training U.S. Army Reserve units to hone their technical and logistics skills in clean water access project design and implementation, which will help ensure unit readiness and also scale-up innovative dual-use technologies to implement collaborative solutions. "I am pleased to represent America's Army Reserve this evening and I am eager to begin working with the U.S. Water Partnership, and you, its member organizations, to address global water challenges," Talley said. "We look forward to working with many of you as we meet our training objectives; improve our technical enabling skills in engineering, medical, civil affairs, and logistics; all while assisting U.S. Water Partnership to promote clean water access to people in the developing world."
Bob Bailey, President of CH2M Hill Water, also delivered keynote remarks to the approximately 100 member organization representatives and invited guests. “Sustainable management of water, energy and food resources is critical to the future of our global community, economy and environment,” noted Bailey. The consulting, design-build, operations, and program management company employs 28,000 people around the globe, with gross revenue of $7 billion in 2012. “CH2M HILL has a passion for and commitment to solving water resource management challenges around the world. We support the U.S. Water Partnership because we know it takes a holistic approach and collaboration and action from all sectors of society to create a more sustainable world. We are proud to lend our knowledge, resources and skills as a member of the U.S. Water Partnership as we continue to tackle the pressing, intertwined challenges that face everyone who influences or is influenced by the water cycle.”
Ambassador Hattie Babbitt, Chair of the USWP Steering Committee opened the event with brief remarks on the progress the Partnership has made over the past year and outlined the anticipated direction for the Partnership through 2013.
Ambassador Babbitt said; “The resources, skills, and commitments of these new partners will help spur even more tangible action to address global water challenges; action that would likely not have otherwise happened without the enabling platform of the Partnership.” She listed several concrete activities facilitated through the USWP over the past year, including USWP Signature Initiatives, multi- and bi-lateral partner exchanges and study tours between the U.S. and other national government agencies.
New partners recognized by Ambassador Babbitt included: CH2M Hill, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc., National Heritage Institute, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University, the U.S. Army Reserve, the University of Nebraska Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, the University of South Florida Patel College for Global Sustainability, the University of Texas at Austin Center for Research in Water Resources, Water for People, and Winrock International. The 10 new members bring the total number of USWP partners to 61.
During the event, two new Signature Initiatives were also added to the USWP: 1) The Great Rivers Partnership, proposed by The Nature Conservancy; and 2) the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, proposed by Conservation International and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, together bringing the total number of Signature Initiatives to six. The four original Signature Initiatives include: 1) Multiple Use Services, led by Rockefeller Foundation; 2) Improved WASH Access, led by The Coca-Cola Company; 3) Water Security/Water Risk in South Asia, led by the Skoll Global Threats Fund; and 4) Knowledge Management, led by the Global Environment & Technology Foundation and the U.S. State Department.
Thursday evening’s reception and ceremony kicked-off the USWP’s World Water Day events, which continued into Friday with an all Partners Meeting to discuss further deepening collaboration around projects and initiatives.
For more information on the U.S. Water Partnership, please email Nathan Engle at nathan.engle@uswaterpartnership.org.
The U.S. Water Partnership unites and mobilizes “best of the U.S.” expertise, resources, and ingenuity to address global water challenges with a special focus where needs are greatest. A joint effort of both the public and private sectors in the U.S., the Partnership is supported by more than 60 members including U.S. government agencies, academic organizations, NGOs, water coalitions and the private sector. For more information on the USWP, please visit www.uswaterpartnership.org.