Terry Paule launches SWIM platform at UN Water Conference

The global water sector is gearing up for a monumental gathering as the third UN Water Conference prepares to run from 8 to 10 December 2026 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi.

Centred on accelerating action for Sustainable Development Goal 6—Clean Water and Sanitation—the event serves as the backdrop for major technological announcements. Among them, World Economic Forum-recognised Aquapreneur Terry Paule, Founder of Philo and Co-Founder of Findex, is officially hard-launching the Sustainable Water Impact Maps (SWIM) platform on 8 December 2026.

First previewed during Climate Week in New York in September 2025, the ambition behind SWIM was straightforward yet transformative: to break down the siloes fragmenting global water stewardship and bring the sector together into a single cohesive environment.

"The global water crisis cannot be solved alone," said Terry Paule. "Water is finally being recognised not just as a humanitarian necessity, but as a primary economic and investment priority. This is exactly why SWIM was built as an operating platform that could take friction out of the ecosystem and deliver real world, measurable results."

Developed by Philo—the Abu Dhabi-based parent company of Botanical Water Technologies—SWIM was born out of observing widespread inefficiencies first-hand. Through water projects across India and other regions, Philo identified deep fragmentation within water funding:

• Funders frequently struggle to locate credible, ready-to-fund projects.

• Implementers find it difficult to connect with the right financial backers.

• There remains a persistent lack of transparent visibility and collective action across the wider industry.

SWIM tackles these hurdles by consolidating water risk, project requirements, funders, implementers, evidence, and verified impact into one central location. It spans reduce, reuse, replenish, and WASH projects across both advanced technology and nature-based solutions.

Moving from silos to shared action

Water experts widely agree that no single organisation can successfully rehabilitate a river basin in isolation. Yet, traditional efforts remain heavily scattered. Small projects operate independently, capital is spread thin, and public-private cooperation is infrequent.

The solution requires moving away from backing isolated projects and pivoting toward coordinated catchment-wide organising. Companies, governments, communities, and NGOs must align behind shared goals and track unified metrics. SWIM addresses this exact void by offering a shared platform where stakeholders can identify who is active within critical basins.

Data-rich and operational

The platform is already operational, with approximately 1,000 projects currently onboarded alongside a growing roster of Fortune 500 funders and international NGOs.

• Extensive Data Integration: SWIM incorporates over 100 data layers sourced from institutions like the World Bank, WRI Aqueduct, WHO/UNICEF JMP, and the WWF Water Risk Filter down to the sub-catchment level.

• Verified Standards: Implementers must provide evidence of at least one project backed by a recognised organisation before publishing, and projects can earn independent verified badges.

• Execution Layer: PhiloX operates behind SWIM to handle contracting, funding workflows, rigorous verification, and real-time auditable impact reporting.

With its debut in Abu Dhabi, SWIM aims to transform how global water finance and resource management are executed.