USAID and Coca-Cola Announce Global Watershed Partnership Agreement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2005
2005-080
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Coca-Cola Company announced the "Global Community - Watershed Partnerships Program." This public-private collaboration will support a wide variety of water-related programs in developing countries around the world.
In an effort to provide more access to clean water and to protect our environment, USAID and Coca-Cola are working together with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation to reduce the impacts of water-related problems in priority countries. By combining local experience, community involvement, technical knowledge and funding, the partners will work to find positive and long-lasting solutions to local water problems.
"Water projects help improve access to safe and adequate water supply and sanitation, improve irrigation technology, enhance natural environments, and develop better institutional capacity for water resources management," stated USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios. "When we work together with our partners in the private sector, this important work can benefit even more people in developing nations."
The Global Community Watershed Partnerships Program capitalizes on the strengths and experience of each partner institution in the collaborative development and implementation of water projects. In Mali, for example, the new alliance will support community water supply and sanitation as well as small-scale agriculture activities using recycled wastewater from a local Coca-Cola bottling plant. In Bolivia, the upper watershed near a Coca-Cola facility will be protected through greater community and private sector involvement.
"At the Coca-Cola Company we are transforming the way that we think about water," said Jeff Seabright, Coca-Cola's Vice President for Water and Environment. "It is in the long-term interests for our business to be good stewards of our most critical ingredient, water. Along with the communities where we operate, we have a shared interest in protecting water resources and enabling greater access to water and sanitation. To do this, we are collaborating closely with our bottling partners, our supply chain partners, and other stakeholders to address the water challenges and opportunities that we have in nearly 1,000 of our operation sites around the world. Today's agreement with USAID is another important step in this process."
The Community-Watershed Partnerships program is a multi year effort with over $3.5 million of combined resources in the first year. The alliance will work to achieve a variety of goals, including increasing access to safe water supply, promoting sanitation and hygiene; and protecting and conserving local water resources.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID, visit: http://www.usaid.gov.
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