ECLAC Natural Resources Division participates in the Webinar "30 years Articulating Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean" on the 30th anniversary of the Inter-American Water Day.

On October the 3rd 2022, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Inter-American Water Day (DIA-A, in Spanish), the Webinar "30 years Articulating Partnerships for the Sustainable Development of Latin America and the Caribbean" was held, organised by AIDIS and with the participation of institutional representatives and regional bodies such as The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, the Argentinean National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA), and the Central American and Dominican Republic Forum for Drinking Water and Sanitation (FOCARD-APS).

Dr. Silvia Saravia Matus, from ECLAC's Natural Resources Division, gave a keynote speech at the opening of the event. She presented ECLAC's vision of water as a central vector for sustainable development, the current challenges in the provision of drinking water and sanitation in the region, and a proposal for a sustainable and inclusive water transition for the region. In addition, the official closed these opening remarks by reiterating ECLAC's willingness to support the countries of the region in processes of institutional articulation, generation of evidence, definition and design of public policy instruments and multisectoral water to enable the transition.

Dr. Saravia Matus was also in charge of the presentation "Report of the Regional Process of Latin America and the Caribbean for Accelerating the Achievement of SDG 6". Through this presentation, Saravia Matus first commented on the state of progress of SDG6 in the region and highlighted ECLAC's commitment to the acceleration of this goal. As proof of this, she listed the wide range of activities led by the Natural Resources Division in the framework of the "Mid-term comprehensive review of the activities of the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development" (2018-2028).  In the second part of the presentation, Dr. Saravia Matus presented ECLAC's proposals to stimulate investment and financing for the SDG 6 targets, among which the implementation of circular water treatment systems and methane recovery in the region were highlighted. Finally, the official underlined several important opportunities for acceleration in the areas of data and information, capacity development, and innovation and governance, pillars of the SDG6 Acceleration Framework and areas in which ECLAC has been carrying out relevant studies and activities.

Finally, Dr. Saravia Matus provided details on the next United Nations Water Conference that will be held in New York in March 2023, as well as on the preparatory activities promoted by ECLAC for this conference together with the regional group of experts on water, highlighting the upcoming "Water Dialogues" that will be held from the 1st to the 3rd of February 2023, in Santiago de Chile, in a hybrid format.