The 2023 Regional Water Dialogues were held between February 1 and 3 at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. The event had a hybrid character, and was widely attended, including more than 3,700 people registered online and 200 in-person attendees. In total, there were representatives from more than 30 countries of the region, including people from South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The objectives of the event were 1) to communicate and consolidate the commitments acquired to accelerate the implementation of SDG 6 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 2) to exchange experiences and lessons learned for the fulfillment of the same SDGs. As a result of this event, a Regional Water Action Agenda was obtained that highlights the main commitments and courses of action that LAC countries must follow to accelerate the implementation of SDG 6. The above, based on a sustainable and inclusive water transition.
The event had almost 80 panelists of the highest level, highlighting the presence of the Vice President of El Salvador, Mr. Félix Ulloa, as well as ministers and vice ministers of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Dialogues were structured around seven intervention panels. Here, prominent representatives of the world of water at an international level also participated, coming from non-governmental organizations, banks and academia.
A technical conference was also held supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and had the country's ambassador in Chile during its opening. This day held more than 20 interventions from the world of water, among which indigenous representatives, Afro-descendants, and the voice of girls, boys and young people can be highlighted.
Likewise, during the dialogues the Latin American and the Caribbean Network and Observatory for Water Sustainability (Red y Observatorio de Sostenibilidad de Agua, ROSA) was launched. It’s a project promoted by ECLAC and five pilot countries. In this regard, the countries expressed their needs and desire to participate in the pilot stages of the project.
The final result of the Dialogues is reflected in the Regional Water Action Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean, which includes the main points of each of the panels. During its reading, some comments were made in order to effectively include all the voices of the room, so the document is currently being updated to include them. For this reason, the event constitutes a precedent in the region that will serve as a boost to accelerate compliance with SDG 6 and as an input for the 2023 Water Conference.
For more information about the panels and exhibitors, you can download the event’s agenda.
Additionally, access to all the presentations and the Regional Water Action Agenda presented can be found at this link.
Finally, we invite you to view and share the daily videos of the event at the following links:
