Alliance for Water Stewardship Releases International Water Stewardship Standard
The Alliance for Water Stewardship announced recently the release of the First Draft International Water Stewardship Standard for Public Consultation. The first public consultation will be open to stakeholders until June 15th, 2012.
The Standard aims to support water users in taking appropriate actions to evaluate and improve their impacts on watersheds. It aims to build on other water-related tools, helping users to reduce their water risk and generate social, environmental and economic benefits. The Standard is designed for global application in all relevant sectors.
The draft Standard focuses around four principles: water governance, water balance, water quality, and important water areas. Each principle includes criteria and indicators against which compliance will be measured. The Standard recognizes both performance and process, aiming to both ensure rigour and maximize uptake. The Standard is accompanied with guidance materials for interpretation and, ultimately, a third-party verification system.
Click here to read the full AWS press release.
Click here to view the draft Standard and related documents, and provide your feedback.
AWS board organizations include: The Water Environment Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Water Stewardship Australia, the Pacific Institute, WWF, Water Witness International, the European Water Partnership, the International Water Management Institute, the UN Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate, and the Carbon Disclosure Project.
About AWS
The Alliance for Water Stewardship was formed in 2009 with the aim of collectively addressing some of the most serious impacts of water use worldwide. AWS believes that collective action — the involvement of all those with an interest in how water resources are managed — is the only way we can fully address the complex nature of the water challenges the world is facing. At the heart of AWS is the development of and International Standard and third-party verification system. Regional engagement processes are critical to the success of both the Standard and the wider stewardship program.
SOURCE: Water Environment Federation (WEF) - WEFTEC