About the event
Тhe annual economic value of water and freshwater ecosystems globally is estimated to be US$58 trillion, equivalent to ca. 60% of global GDP. Zooming into Central and Eastern Europe, the Danube Basin is providing us with essential drinking water supplies, supporting biodiversity, sustaining livelihoods, and fostering economic activities such as industry, agriculture, and the service sector, including tourism and transportation.
How we treat this invaluable yet undervalued resource will define the future of people, climate, nature, and therefore business in the region. Single, siloed actions will no longer suffice in our rapidly changing environment. Therefore, best practices in water action need to be redefined.
Join us at the leadership summit „The Business Case for Water” to stay on top of the latest water sustainability practices. Learn about water stewardship practices, managing water resources and related risks within your value chain and become a forward-looking, resilient business, as active part of the communities you operate in.
JOIN THE SUMMIT
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WHAT TO EXPECT
- Gain valuable insights from real-life cases of leading international companies;
- Enhance your understanding of how water relates to your business, as well as to the future of communities and nature;
- Improve your water-related risk management expertise;
- Build a deep understanding of the economic opportunities associated with water stewardship;
- Network with business leaders across Europe;
- Explore opportunities for collective action that are mutually beneficial for water users in the Danube Basin.
Agenda
09:30 - 10:00
Arrival and Coffee
PART 1 - Water challenges in the Danube Basin. An ecological, legal, and business panorama
10:00 - 10:15
Introduction, Welcoming Words
Gergely Litkai, Dumaszínház
Katalin Sípos, CEO WWF-Hungary
10:15 - 10:20
Opening Remarks
Wouter Vermeulen, Vice President Sustainability & Public Policy Europe, Coca-Cola Europe
10:20 - 10:35
The Challenge of Water - for Society, nature and business
Stuart Orr, Freshwater Practice Lead WWF International
10:35 - 10:45
Danube Basin: Addressing the challenge of water in the Danube basin. State of the river basin
Birgit Vogel, Executive Secretary, The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)
10:45 - 11:00
Major Freshwater Challenges in the Danube River basin and WWF responses
Laurice Ereifej, Freshwater Programme Lead, WWF Central And Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE)
11:00 - 11:20
The Water Stewardship Journey
Fatima Bertrán de Lís, Senior consultant, denkstatt Austria
Katrin Tomova, Senior consultant sustainability, denkstatt Bulgaria
11:20 - 11:55
Q&A Session and Key takeaways
11:55 - 13:15
Lunch Break
PART 2 - Business taking Action: Unfolding Water Stewardship Case Studies from Different Industries
13:15 - 13:25
From Factory to Collective Action
Gyan de Silva, Senior Programme Office Corporate Water Stewardship WWF United States
13:25 - 13:40
Water Stewardship in the Food Retail Supply Chain EDEKA’s Water Stewardship Journey
Juliane Vatter, Senior Project Manager Water Stewardship, WWF Germany
André Böckler, Project Manager Sustainability - Ecology and Project Lead Freshwater (online)
13:40 - 13:55
Water Stewardship and Risk Modelling in the Textile Sector
Harsh Sheth, Senior manager Transformative Partnerships (Freshwater), WWF Sweden
Sharif Hoque, Impact Lead-Water at H&M Group (online)
13:55 - 14:10
Water Stewardship and Collective Action by IKEA
Neha Madan Asthana, Strategic Topic Leader Water, IKEA
14:10 - 14:25
The Business Case for Water. A water stewardship and natural capital assessment
Jan Burger, Climate and Water Sustainability Director, Coca-Cola Europe
14:25 - 15:25
Panel Discussion: The Water Stewardship Experience and Journey
Moderating: Fatima Bertrán de Lís, denkstatt Austria
Participants: Neha Madan Asthana, Jan Burger, Katrin Tomova, Stuart Orr, Juliane Vatter, Harsh Sheth
15:25 - 15:50
Coffee Break
PART 3: Call for Action in the Danube Basin
15:50 - 17:00
Call for Corporate Action: Introducing the Living Danube Partnership
Moderation: Andreas Beckmann, CEO WWF-CEE
17:00 - 18:00
Closing session
Evening Reception and Networking Opportunity
SPEAKERS
Moderator: Gergely Litkai, awarded Hungarian comedian, editor in chief, script author, environmental activist
Logistics
Location of the event: Stopper River Budapest, 1138 Budapest, Moszkva sétány
We encourage you to reduce your footprint by travelling via public transport and choosing an easily accessible venue for this purpose. The number of parking spots is limited and will be allocated on a first registered, first-served basis.
By downloading the Budapest GO application, you will be able to buy public transport e-tickets via phone, which can be validated upon boarding with QR codes next to the vehicle’s entrances.
Contact
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our team. Here's how you can reach out to us:
Partner with WWF
Violetka Minkova, WWF-CEE
e-mail: vminkova@wwfcee.org
Agenda and speakers
Emöke Györfi, WWF-CEE
e-mail: egyorfi@wwfcee.org
Press office
Mihaela Popova, WWF-CEE
e-mail: mpopova@wwfcee.org
WWF AND THE COCA-COLA
FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
The event “The Business Case for Water: Leadership Summit for addressing water challenges in the Danube Basin” is organised under the project „Bridge 2.0”, part of The Living Danube Partnership — a unique, long-standing, cross-sectoral collaboration that unites WWF-CEE and The Coca-Cola Foundation. This partnership’s primary goal is to promote the conservation and restoration of wetlands in the Danube basin. Learn more about the collaboration here.
SUPPORTERS OF THE EVENT
