The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative

The first day in Davos explored the transformative power of AI, responsible business, and resilient systems, highlighting bold collaborations shaping the future. Innovation and impact-led investment models started the day off in a roundtable addressing global water challenges, with insights from Matt Damon on mobilising capital for impact. Hosted by The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and Water.org, the discussion explored how blended finance and cross-sector collaboration could unlock scalable solutions for universal access to safe water. The afternoon centered on innovation at the Hackathon hosted by WorldQuant and the MIT Media Lab’s sAIpien program, where cross-generational, cross-sector teams used AI to co-create solutions across finance, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and more. This was followed by the launch of the 2025 Goals House Impact Report, celebrating the partnerships, actions, and stories that defined the year, which can be downloaded here: https://lnkd.in/e9XNYn2m Panels and roundtables throughout the afternoon examined how industries are embedding responsibility into their business models. Bayer facilitated a discussion about how health systems can achieve equitable access through sustainable financing. The Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, together with voices from Pandora, Salesforce, L'Oréal, and Colgate-Palmolive explored how brands can become "future proof" by embedding sustainability into their business models. High-level discussions with the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative featured insights from Dr. Peter Lee from Microsoft Research, Michael Cook of Our Future Health UK, and Susan Armiger from Catalight, to focus on diagnostics, workforce training, and digital tools to advance global health equity. Evening sessions brought intimate dinners and dialogues across sectors. Leaders explored AI-human alignment with ServiceNow, ocean conservation through the launch of “Blue Davos,” Mubadala explored multipolar investment strategies, and The Global Goals Business Avengers discussed tech-enabled partnerships for measurable impact. The night concluded with a Goals House x The Rest is Politics nightcap featuring Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart in conversation on the themes shaping Davos and the year ahead.

🌟 UAE Embassy Water Award 2025 was presented on 10 December, in honor of the UAE’s 54th National Day, celebrating outstanding Sri Lankan champions whose work strengthens water security, climate resilience, and community wellbeing.   Initiated by the UAE Embassy in Sri Lanka, with support from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), this award recognizes individuals and groups whose research, advocacy, journalism, and community action have delivered measurable impact across Sri Lanka’s water landscape.   Each entry was evaluated for its public and institutional reach, contribution to social and behavioral change, and capacity building across communities, organizations, and government by the evaluation panel that included experts from IWMI, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, among many others.   🏆 Research Category – Winner Restoring Bopaththalawa Cloud Forest for Water Security and Climate Resilience in Sri Lanka Recognized for its rigorous science, long-term ecological monitoring, and community-driven restoration that improved water retention, stabilized streamflow, and strengthened biodiversity and climate resilience across a critical montane catchment.   📰 Advocacy & Journalism Category – Winner The Kelani River Water Quality Restoration Program Awarded for its evidence-based investigation and powerful translation of science into policy action, strengthening enforcement, building institutional capacity, and empowering a grassroots watchdog network to protect one of Sri Lanka’s most vital rivers.   👧🏽 Youth & Schools Category – Winner Empowering School Children on Climate Change Adaptation with Rainwater Harvesting This project stood out for turning over 5,700 students into climate-resilient water champions through hands-on training, competitions, and more than 200 school-based rainwater systems that delivered safe drinking water and lasting behavior change.   🏡 Communities Category – Winner Let Them Bloom – Give Them Water Recognized for transforming lives through community-owned reverse osmosis plants across 12 villages and 26 schools, ensuring safe drinking water, reducing illness, improving school attendance, and unlocking new livelihood opportunities, especially for women and children.   These champions remind us that safeguarding Sri Lanka’s water future requires innovation, collaboration, and people-led action, from forests and rivers to classrooms and villages. Congratulations to all the winners whose dedication and leadership continue to inspire meaningful progress across the country. Chaturangi Wickramaratne | Radheeka Jirasinha | Ian Overton | Anne Cecile (Lili) Delwaide #WaterAward #WaterChallenge

A year of breakthroughs! 🚀 Get an inside look at what you helped power in 2025 in our latest edition of The XChange. Plus… 🖥️ XPRIZE #QuantumApplications is taking center stage at Q2B25 Silicon Valley tomorrow to announce the Finalist teams! 💧Watch a conversation between #XPRIZEWaterScarcity Executive Program Director David Locke and Executive Director of The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative Ayesha Al Ateeqi on why large-scale solutions are critical and how Track A innovators are rising to the challenge. 🩺 Jamie Justice, Ph.D. spoke at the Forbes Healthcare Summit alongside Nir Barzilai, MD and Francisco LePort. … and more! Subscribe to The XChange newsletter here on LinkedIn or on XPRIZE.org to have it delivered to your inbox every month: https://lnkd.in/gYSArDF7