Mexico City, April 9, 2015.– Globally, water is an essential resource for all production processes and for all human development. The UN has included in the new Millennium Sustainable Goals great challenges of conservation and access to water as essential to ensure the development of people in the world.
In response, FEMSA Foundation, in collaboration with the prestigious newspaper The Guardian, launched “Water in Development”: an informative website that encourages collaboration and discussion of the most pressing issues concerning water. Its goal is to foster discussion among water experts and professionals to bring water into the forefront of global thought. By bringing together both the global development and the business communities, both organizations seek to promote solutions to pressing challenges in water issues.
“At FEMSA Foundation we are convinced that through the website we will raise awareness in the community, within experts and in anyone who cares to protect our planet. The Guardian, besides rooting its commitment to serious journalism in 56 years of experience in the field, is recognized and impacts internationally as the speaker of this forum which seeks to duly highlighting a topic that concerns us all “, said Vidal Garza Cantu, Director of FEMSA Foundation.
The website will have global reach and an audience that involves governments, the private sector, and the general public to build a community through which participants can share best practices, challenges and policy development on these fundamental issues. Editorial articles and case studies will also be published on the site.
In addition, 12 Question and Answer sessions are developed online where leaders and experts on water issues can share their experiences and interact with participants. The objective is to generate a massive exchange of ideas on the challenges facing the water through a global debate on water development.
Initiatives such as this one reinforce the commitment of FEMSA Foundation to promote the conservation and sustainable use of water in Latin America and the world, through partnerships with institutions that share the vision of development and social growth, and bringing organizations together to positively impact communities.
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About FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company that participates in the beverage industry with Coca-Cola FEMSA, the largest franchise bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world; and in the beer industry, through its ownership of the second largest equity stake in Heineken, one of the worlds leading brewers with operations in over 70 countries. FEMSA participates in the retail sector with FEMSA Comercio, which operates various small-format chain stores including OXXO, the largest and fastest growing in Latin America. These operations receive support from FEMSAs Strategic Business Unit.
About FEMSA Foundation
FEMSA Foundation is a social investment instrument that supports both the conservation and sustainable use of water and the improvement of the quality of life of the community through the application of education, science, and technology.
Its area of Sustainable Development of Hydric Resources channels resources towards projects focusing on the conservation and sustainable use of water for the protection of ecosystems not only in the present but for future generations too. It has three programs, Conservation of Watersheds, Water and Sanitation, and Construction of Capacities and Applied Research. In turn, the department of Quality of Life focuses on supporting projects aiming to improve the nutrition and health of the population of our communities. The programs of Quality of Life are Nutritional Education, Healthy Lifestyles, and Construction of Capacities and Applied Research. If you wish to learn more about FEMSA Foundation, please visit www.fundacionfemsa.org.