The issues involved in water and waste services concern us all. The increasing involvement in recent years by a large number of stakeholders - experts, citizens, local associations or international NGOs – in these issues is without question an improvement. It forces political decision makers and service provider companies such as ours to accept dialogue, transparency and new ideas.

Over and above the partnerships that have existed for many years in the field with local NGOs, this conviction has led us to set up a permanent consultative committee, the FAC (Foresight Advisory Council), which consists of more than 25 independent experts, who advise us on many cases, in particular in terms of social responsibility.

This has also resulted in our participation in major conferences and professional congresses (the World Water Forum, the Johannesburg conference, and so on), in the work of the major International Institutions and NGOs (studies by the World Bank, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, ORSE*, etc.), in the working meetings of multi-actors (of the Bridge Initiative type, focusing on dialogue between civil society and private players) but also in individual meetings with various organisations working in the field of water, including those that do not agree with us!

Today, we should like to enlarge this basis for dialogue even further with this Internet site, which we want to be as interactive as possible: we should like to hear about your experience, your ideas and your criticisms! We shall also indicate regular dates on which to exchange ideas on line with our teams.

As you well know, progress is based on discussion and action: debate frequently means certainties are taken to task, but also produces new ideas that in turn lead to innovation and tangible results.

Jean-Louis Chaussade,

SUEZ Executive Vice President, in charge of SUEZ ENVIRONMENT

* ORSE, Observatory on Corporate Societal Responsibility