Announces Signature Initiative to Support Clean Water, Sanitation
in African Countries
The Coca-Cola Company and The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation today
announced a $3.5 million (USD) commitment to the United States Water
Partnership (USWP) to advance sustainable water access in African
countries facing the greatest clean water challenges. Bea Perez, the
Company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, made the announcement at the
Rio+20 Conference in Brazil where participants are working to shape
policy on global poverty reduction, social equity advancement and
environmental protection.
“Access to safe water is essential for our company and our world. The
sustainability of water resources is a top priority at The Coca-Cola
Company,” said Bea Perez. “We are honored to support the U.S. Water
Partnership while being a catalyst for sustainable water access
solutions in Africa.”
The USWP was announced by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
on World Water Day 2012. This public-private partnership was established
to unite American expertise, knowledge and resources, and mobilize those
assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the
developing world.
“The U.S. Water Partnership is about connecting people and resources,
making information easily accessible, reducing transaction costs, and
leveraging the assets of partners to offer a range of U.S.-based
approaches and solutions tailored to key water needs. Whether it is
improved access to knowledge and technical training, or mobilizing
experts and resources, the partnership aims to provide integrated
solutions to water challenges around the world,” said Secretary Clinton.
“We very much appreciate the leadership of Coca-Cola in providing new
resources to the U.S. Water Partnership, and for their investments in
clean water access in African countries of great need.”
The Company’s commitment will support USWP operations as well as water
access programs in countries with the most significant water access
needs through its flagship program, the Replenish Africa Initiative
(RAIN). In 2012, Coca-Cola will provide more than $3MM in support of
five African countries where, according to the Joint Monitoring Program
2012 Update, less than half of the population has improved access to
clean water. These countries are Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique and Somaliland. One hundred million
people, nearly one third of those lacking safe water access on the
African continent, live in these five countries.
The funds will support a variety of sustainable water access activities
ranging from expanding water access in informal urban settlements to
providing water access in hospitals and promoting multiple uses of water
that empower women. These projects are core to the Company’s 2012 RAIN
project portfolio that addresses the diversity of water challenges faced
by Africans, including sustainable agriculture, water and sanitation in
schools, and rural and urban community water access.
Also as part of this effort, The Coca-Cola Company will provide $500,000
of operational support to the USWP to bring additional resources to
African countries characterized as high-need for clean water and
sanitation. The USWP will also make the best practices from these RAIN
investments widely available to the global water sector.
“These programs are in the spirit of the Rio meetings – conserving
natural resources for future generations, improving livelihoods and
ensuring the sustainability of the communities we serve,” said William
Asiko, President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation.
The U.S. Water Partnership (USWP)
USWP is a U.S.-based public-private partnership (PPP) established to
unite American expertise, knowledge, and resources, and mobilize those
assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the
developing world. In addition to The Coca-Cola Company, founding
partners include the US State Department, 15 US government agencies, The
Rockefeller Foundation, Skoll Global Threats Fund and NGO partners. For
more information on the USWP, please visit http://uswaterpartnership.org/.
The Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN)
RAIN is backed by a six-year, $30 million dollar commitment by The
Coca-Cola Company and is the signature community initiative of The
Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. In partnership with other donors, RAIN aims
to provide water access to over 2 million people in Africa by 2015. To
date, RAIN, supports over 40 projects in more than 25 countries and
continues to expand across the continent. For more information about
RAIN, please visit http://www.tccaf.org.
The Coca-Cola Company
The
Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still
brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's
portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta,
Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply,
Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling
beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through
the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than
200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a
day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities,
our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental
footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work
environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of
the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners,
we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than
700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com
or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.
