Veolia participates in the 8th World Water Forum in Brasilia
From 18 to 23 March, 40,000 experts from 160 countries gather in Brasilia for the 8th World Water Forum. Initiated by the World Water Council (WWC), the event aims to promote the protection and sustainable use of water for the benefit of "all life on Earth". On March 22nd,Veolia organized a conference to mobilize actors on the theme of "The Global Pact for the Environment: a project compatible with business?"
Led by Pierre Victoria, Veolia's Director of Sustainable Development, a panel of international lawyers, a representative of the Danone Group and French and Brazilian experts exchanged views about the challenges of the Global Compact for the Environment for businesses.
The Pact, presented last September by the President of the French Republic to the UN, is intended to conclude the first international treaty gathering together and harmonizing all the existing environmental laws. It establishes everyone’s right to live in an ecologically sound environment and the duty of every public or private, natural or legal person to take care of the environment.
Binding on the Member States, it enshrines the third generation of fundamental rights and brings together all the major principles of environmental law governing nation states. It thus completes the two international pacts signed in 1966 concerning civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights.
In the country that hosted the Rio sustainable development conferences in 1992 and again in 2012, representatives of the Brazilian authorities have affirmed their support for this project. The French ambassador for the environment reiterated that to succeed the draft pact proposed by civil society must now go through international negotiations.
The legal stability the Pact brings has been welcomed by businesses as it will support the transformation of their models and deploy the most environmentally friendly solutions around the world.
"The Global Pact for the Environment sets out the principles of prevention, precaution, polluter pays, access to information, resilience and non-regression. It encourages its implementation by civil society, economic actors, cities and territories, which have a vital role in protecting the environment. Veolia’s role alongside its stakeholders is important in supporting the uniformity of environmental standards, particularly in the field of water," explained Pierre Victoria, Director of Sustainable Development at Veolia.
