EVENT AGENDA

Day 1: Strategic Narrative and Political Alignment

The first day, Wednesday, May 27, will be dedicated to the political positioning of the new regional narrative and high-level intersectoral dialogue.

09:00 – 09:30 | Opening Ceremony
The event will be opened by high-level authorities from the Dominican Republic and ECLAC, who will highlight the strategic relevance of the meeting and its connection to the global agenda leading up to the 2026 Water Conference.

09:30 – 10:45 | ECLAC Presentation: "Water as a Structural Constraint and Development Superconnector"
ECLAC will present its conceptual proposal on water as an economic, social, and environmental asset. The presentation will address the region's main structural bottlenecks—systemic water scarcity, distorted economic signals, institutional weakness—and the strategic levers for action: comprehensive water valuation, circular economy, blended and innovative water financing, and intersectoral coordination. It will also explain the implications of this approach within the framework of preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.

10:45 – 12:30 | Intersectoral Interministerial Panel: "Realigning Sectoral Policies from a Water Perspective"
This high-level dialogue space will bring together ministers and authorities from various sectors—Environment, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture, and Housing—to reflect on how sectoral policies must be realigned and adapted to an integrated water vision. The dialogue will be structured around guiding themes such as correct economic signals and water valuation; usage priorities and water security; productive competitiveness and fiscal sustainability; institutional coordination and public policy coherence; differentiated responsibilities and territorial and social equity; and climate resilience and ecosystem protection.

12:30 – 13:30 | Broadened Dialogue and Messages for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference
In an open format for all in-person participants, this space will gather perceptions, comments, and reactions from countries and stakeholders present regarding the strategic narrative presented and the ministerial dialogue held. It aims to identify regional convergences, prioritize themes for 2026, and obtain key political signals from participating countries.

14:30 – 15:30 | Presentation of the Online Course: Evidence-Based Water Policies
The online course developed by ECLAC will be presented as a conceptual and methodological foundation for the new regional water approach. The integrated presentation of its four modules—Water and Agriculture; Water and Circular Economy; Water and Biodiversity; Water Valuation and Governance—will demonstrate its utility for the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of public water policies across various sectors relevant to the region's countries.

15:30 – 17:30 | Technical Dialogue Panels
Four parallel panels will connect the course modules with the public policy challenges of participating countries and with the narrative presented in previous segments, incorporating comments from members of the Water Resources Expert Group and concrete country experiences:

• Water and Agriculture Panel: Will address how the agricultural sector can internalize the value of water, what economic instruments can improve water efficiency without affecting food security, and what institutional arrangements facilitate intersectoral coordination.
• Water and Circular Economy Panel: Will discuss how the circular economy can transform the water sector from a fiscal cost to a value generator, what regulatory frameworks facilitate resource recovery, and what green financing opportunities can be leveraged.
• Water and Biodiversity Panel: Will analyze how to integrate nature-based solutions into water policies, what macroeconomic risks are implied by ecosystem degradation, and how to reflect the value of ecosystem services in investment decisions.
• Water Valuation Panel: Will examine what policies allow the strategic value of water to be reflected, how to balance the human right to water with financial sustainability, and what regulatory reforms are priorities.

17:30 – 18:00 | Closing of Day 1
Key messages from the day will be consolidated, reinforcing the strategic narrative and establishing the conceptual bridge toward the technical work of Day 2 on water financing.

Day 2: From Discourse to Action

The second day, Thursday, May 28, will focus on operationalizing the identified priorities and strengthening capacities for financing mobilization.

09:00 – 09:30 | Launch of the ROSA Observatory and the Regional Water Profile
ECLAC will present the Regional Water Security Observatory (ROSA) and the Regional Water Profile, two innovative monitoring, analysis, and evidence tools designed to strengthen decision-making and policy monitoring for water in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

09:30 – 12:30 | Water Financing Workshop – Part One: From Strategy to Investment Structuring
This practical workshop aims to strengthen the technical capacities of participating countries to translate water security strategies into structured and potentially fundable investment portfolios. Using a "zoom out" approach—from the strategic narrative to the investment logic—it will address:

• The systemic framework for water financing to close the implementation gap.
• Building the strategic and economic case: alignment with public policy priorities, identification of economic, social, and environmental benefits, and conceptualizing water security as a strategic asset.
• Transition from strategy to investment portfolio: classification of interventions, identification of project clusters, and incorporation of circular economy and nature-based solutions as structural components.
• The bridge between economics and finance: differences between economic analysis (impact and benefits) and financial analysis (structure, risks, bankability).

14:00 – 16:00 | Water Financing Workshop – Part Two: From Structuring to Financing and Implementation
In this second part, using a "zoom in" approach—from the portfolio to concrete financing mechanisms—it will delve into practical decisions regarding implementation, funding, and financing. Content will include:

• The distinction between funding sources and financing mechanisms.
• Innovative and blended water financing instruments: green bonds and thematic bonds, sustainability-linked loans, blended finance, climate finance, and nature finance.
• Financial structuring and risk management: typologies of goods (public, private, mixed), implementation arrangements, and participation of productive sectors and development banks.
• Pipeline preparation and TOPP capacities (technical, operational, political, and prospective) necessary to mobilize investment.

16:00 – 17:30 | Participatory Closing and Strategic Consolidation
The event will conclude with a participatory space to consolidate the main lessons learned and challenges identified, linking the technical work developed during Day 2 with the political and strategic narrative from the first day. Through a participatory methodology, country priorities regarding water security, water valuation, and governance strengthening will be identified; critical institutional, regulatory, financial, and capacity gaps will be analyzed; opportunities for structuring and mobilizing water financing will be recognized; and next strategic steps toward 2026 will be defined, both at the national and regional levels.