Month: July 2025

NEW YORK, July 16, 2025 /3BL/ – At the United Nations 2026 Water Conference Preparatory Meeting, Action Against Hunger joined forces with the French Water Partnership to represent the WASH Road Map and the Global WASH Cluster in launching the 2025 Call to Action for Survival and Resilient WASH, a bold and urgent appeal to prioritize humanitarian water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. The call to action is endorsed by over 230 humanitarian and development actors and four national governments.

Across the globe, nearly 175 million people require humanitarian assistance for WASH. In 2024, the needs were met for only 48 million people—just a quarter of those who need this lifesaving aid—due to chronic underfunding, political interference, and security risks undermining the safety of both the people in need and humanitarian personnel.

In her address during a high-level Multi-Stakeholder Interactive Session, Marie-Laure Vercambre, General Director of the French Water Partnership, emphasized the gravity of the situation: “In 2025, of the $3.2 billion needed, only $146 million has been secured [as of April 2025]—barely 4.5 percent. This situation jeopardizes the lives and dignity of millions of people in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Yet, water is not optional—it is a human right and a lifesaving asset.”

The call to action urges Member States and all actors to:

• Reaffirm compliance with humanitarian principles;
• Substantially increase funding for humanitarian WASH responses, particularly in fragile, conflict, and violence-affected contexts;
• Systematically target WASH efforts where needs are most critical;
• Ensure respect for international humanitarian law to protect WASH infrastructure and humanitarian personnel;
• Reinforce global water governance by integrating humanitarian WASH into the agenda of the 2026 and 2028 UN Water Conferences.

Nicolas Villeminot, Senior WASH Advisor at Action Against Hunger, highlighted the strong backing of the Slovenian and Swiss delegations, whose support underscores the growing international momentum behind humanitarian WASH. Both delegations are vocal supporters of a stronger inclusion of the specific needs of humanitarian WASH as part of the UN Water Conference. Nicolas Villeminot stated, “Our coalition extends an invitation to the two co-chairs of the Conference, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, to join us next month at the Stockholm World Water Week to sign the pledge of the Humanitarian WASH Roadmap, and to make sure that humanitarian needs strongly appear in the interactive dialogue on Water for People.”

The Global WASH Cluster also issued a campaign encouraging stakeholders to endorse the Call to Action and amplify its reach. “This is not just a policy commitment—it’s a collective movement,” the Global WASH Cluster emphasized.

As preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference continue, Action Against Hunger remains committed to ensuring that humanitarian WASH is not only recognized but embedded in global water governance frameworks. Together with our partners, we are turning this crisis into an opportunity—to save lives and build a more resilient future.

Building on the 2023 UN Water Conference—the first high-level conference in nearly half a century to focus on the water crisis—the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by Senegal and the UAE, will aim to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

During the Preparatory Meeting of July 9th, the Member States formally adopted by consensus the six Interactive Dialogue themes that will frame the 2026 UN Water Conference:

1. Water for people: the human rights to water and sanitation, including for those in vulnerable situations, for healthy societies and economies;
2. Water for prosperity: valuing water, water-energy-food nexus, advancing integrated and sustainable water resource management, wastewater and water-use efficiency across sectors, and economic and social development;
3. Water for planet: climate, biodiversity, desertification, environment, source to sea, resilience and disaster risk reduction; (d) Water for cooperation: transboundary and international water cooperation, including scientific cooperation, and inclusive governance;
4. Water in multilateral processes: Sustainable Development Goal 6, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond, and global water initiatives;
5. Investments in water: financing, technology and innovation, and capacity building.

The need for action over commitments was emphasized by many Member States and civil society representatives throughout the day to accelerate SDG 6, which is one of the most off-track SDGs. As highlighted in an address from the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, Her Excellency Retno L. P. Marsudi, the conference must be “the time to transform the moment for SDG 6 into movement. Moment to movement.” She added that “Globally, water-related disasters have contributed to 95% of infrastructure loss and damages, and in 2024 alone, it costed as much as $550 billion in economic loss.”

Action Against Hunger echoes the European Union’s statement advocating for the establishment of thematic civil society working groups aligned with the six interactive dialogue topics, to enable meaningful and substantive stakeholder contributions as part of a truly inclusive and consultative process.

Tapping into different voices, perspectives, and experiences helps businesses solve problems, reveals new opportunities to grow, and encourages contributions that better support people and communities. At Henkel North America, diversity is a path to progress, innovation, and impact. Our employees and partners are united by our purpose: Pioneers at heart for the good of generations. They collaborate to tackle challenges, find solutions and open new perspectives – allowing us to deliver products, services, and innovations that enrich and improve everyday life.

We invite you to “meet” our pioneers in our series, “Pioneers for Good.”

Introducing Devin, Frank, and Katie

Devin Cathcart, Creative Manager; Frank Ziegler, Brand Marketing Director; and Katie Schulze, Brand Manager, are each deeply committed to their professional roles and to making a positive impact in their community. They first connected as many colleagues do – collaborating on projects both within and beyond Henkel—while working at the Westlake, Ohio office, supporting Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies Consumer & Craftsman Division. What they didn’t anticipate was the powerful synergy of their partnership and shared drive to create lasting change.

As residents of the Greater Cleveland area, Devin, Frank, and Katie share a desire to build up their local community. They identified an opportunity to combine their passion, individual strengths, and Henkel resources to serve the greater good.

Devin, Frank, and Katie share what it means to be a pioneer for good – watch the video above.

Building Initiatives through Purpose

Together, they ideated and brought to life the Loctite® 2^nd Chance House Project, a corporate sponsorship that enabled Loctite to support the work of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity in revitalizing a condemned house in Cleveland and transforming it into a welcoming home for a deserving family.

This project came about through the ultimate goal of understanding how we can leverage our market-leading brands [Loctite] to support Henkel’s sustainability initiatives. In this case, we were especially driven by community impact.

Frank Ziegler

Inspired by that impact – rooted in a shared mission to uplift and support thriving communities – Devin, Frank and Katie saw a natural alignment with Habitat for Humanity and its commitment to empowering families through long-term housing stability. The team also aimed to minimize landfill waste and looked for creative ways to repurpose items like furniture and building materials. They rallied a team of 60 motivated Henkel employees to volunteer their time and energy along with industry professionals and DIY experts. For everyone involved, it became a meaningful, multi-dimensional opportunity to bring a shared vision to life.  

Utilizing Partnerships to Create Impact

Devin, Frank, and Katie’s roles at Henkel bring unique perspectives to the Loctite 2^nd Chance House Project, both from the Loctite brand and their collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. 

Devin, the creative lead, is responsible for visualizing and executing the project’s storytelling elements. Frank, the strategist, is focused on team coordination and direction. Katie, the logistical expert, ensures seamless execution throughout the project. Together, they form a dynamic team, amplifying Loctite’s purpose and addressing a gap in the community through the power of multimedia storytelling. It is a feat made possible by the meaningful partnerships they fostered along the way.

Habitat for Humanity’s dedicated team proved to be the perfect complement to this remarkable program. Henkel and Habitat have a long-standing global partnership, and this alliance not only strengthened their relationship but also delivered tangible change, hope and stability to families across Greater Cleveland.

Henkel and Habitat for Humanity Since 2012, Henkel has supported Habitat for Humanity through donations of funds and building materials and employee volunteers around the world. In North America, employees have volunteered at over a dozen build sites from California to Connecticut to Toronto, Canada and more.

It’s really impactful and exciting to be able to see something that you’ve not only been able to help work on physically, but also something you’ve helped promote and raise awareness around.

Katie Schulze

Leaving a Mark that Lasts

From the beginning, creating a lasting impact was always the goal for these three pioneers.

This project is not just dollars spent on building a set and tearing it down; it’s a legacy. At the end of the day, there’s a house that someone gets to live in because of a project we took on at work. We found a way to make it work for our brand, for our goals, and directly impact our community.

Devin Cathcart

The Loctite 2^nd Chance House Project is just getting started! The team has already launched a second project—once again led by Devin, Frank, and Katie. Learn about the venture and stay tuned for what’s next in this exciting partnership at Loctite 2^nd Chance House.

We’re grateful for the incredible support of our partners who were involved in this project. Without the hard work and dedication of Kim Pride, Greater Cleveland Habitat Director of Development; Armand Accordino, Site Supervisor; Isabelle Shields, Site Supervisor; Adam Metzner, Construction Manager; and so many more team members, the Loctite 2nd Chance House Project wouldn’t be what it is today.