WEF Pays Tribute to Georg Fischer’s “Clean Water” Project

The "Clean Water" project, which Georg Fischer launched to mark the company's Bicentenary, continues to enjoy widespread attention from both shareholders and the general public. This is reflected in donations, both large and small, that are constantly being made to the "Community Benefit" Foundation to fund new projects. To date, Georg Fischer has implemented more than 15 water supply projects in 14 countries in cooperation with experienced aid organizations. More than 100,000 people in Africa, Asia and Europe too have thus gained access to fresh drinking water.

The efficiency and sustainable thrust of the project organization set up by the Georg Fischer Foundation also convinced this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where the Georg Fischer project management presented the Foundation and its methods of work. On June 5, the WEF, together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), took the "UN Year of Water" as the occasion to launch a "Water Initiative" in Geneva. The aim is to found global partnerships between the public and the private sectors to improve water management. The Georg Fischer "Clean Water" initiative was cited as a model in this respect.

At the halfway mark of the "Year of Water" proclaimed by the UN in 2003, Georg Fischer has another ten "Clean Water" projects at an advanced planning stage or on the verge of completion. The projects are in Romania, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, Peru, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and the Congo. In many cases the local population is involved in the project, thus ensuring the desired transfer of knowledge from Switzerland to the country in question.