GlobeScan and WWF recently hosted a webinar exploring how collective action can better address shared water challenges at the catchment level. The session was based on insights from The Future Water Agenda: Transforming Collective Action on Shared Water Challenges report and examined how collaboration can be strengthened to tackle growing water risks.
The webinar explored how industry, government, and civil society can partner more effectively on collective action platforms in priority river basins facing high water risks. It examined what collective action looks like today and how it needs to evolve, highlighting the shift from fragmented efforts to more coordinated, catchment-level approaches. The session also identified key actions for each sector and discussed how stronger collaboration can drive greater scale and impact in addressing shared challenges across global value chains.
Key discussion points from the webinar:
- Strong consensus on the need for collective action: Water challenges cannot be solved in isolation, with collaboration – particularly with governments – seen as essential to building resilient value chains and addressing shared risks.
- From fragmented projects to coordinated, catchment-level action: A shift is needed from disconnected, small-scale initiatives to coordinated, platform-based approaches that align stakeholders around shared priorities and enable greater scale and impact.
- Gaps in public–private collaboration remain a major barrier: Despite strong intent, engagement between industry, government, and civil society remains limited, with challenges including misaligned policies, weak relationships, and insufficient coordination.
- Governance and financing are critical to unlocking progress: Underfunded governance and a lack of effective financing models are holding back collective action, highlighting the need for new collaborative approaches that support coordination, scale, and long-term impact.
