Water Roundtable

Beginning in July 2010, AWS launched the Global Water Roundtable- the name of the process that will develop the Water Stewardship Standard. Based upon the ISEAL Alliance’s Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards, the Water Roundtable will seek out a multi-stakeholder consensus through meetings and pilots held throughout the world. Throughout the multi-year Water Roundtable, stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide input into how the Standard is shaped through online feedback, in-person meetings, and piloting efforts. There will be two formal review periods, as well as general feedback opportunities at any point.

International Standard Development Committee

The decision-making body that will have the say as to what is included or not in the Standard is known as the International Standard’s Development Committee (ISDC). Made up of 15 individuals from throughout the world, the ISDC aims to represent different stakeholder groups, from businesses and water service providers, public sector agencies and civil society organizations.

The details of how the Water Roundtable operates, as well as the governance model behind the ISDC are provided in the Water Roundtable process document, which was published and reviewed by stakeholders in January 2011.

The ISDC first met in July, 2011 and has meetings every month (remotely) as well as in-person meetings every 3-4 months to develop the content of the first draft and incorporate stakeholder feedback. A draft framework for the Standard will be complete in the fall of 2011 with a first draft developed in early 2012. AWS anticipates that this final version of the Standard will be complete in 2013 after which it will undergo period reviews and modifications to further meet the needs of stakeholders. At the end of the Water Roundtable, a completed Standard will be approved by the ISDC and this version will form the first International Water Stewardship Standard.

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