WHAT: Fourth edition of the Regional Water Dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024
Santiago and San José, March 6, 2024 (ECLAC-IICA). With the attendance of high-level officials from 18 countries in the region, including the Presidential Designate of Honduras, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, other ministers and viceministers, and more than a hundred public and private sector representatives, international organizations, development banks, academia and civil society, the fourth edition of the Regional Water Dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024 will be held on March 11-13 in Costa Rica’s capital. Additionally, more than 1,800 people have already registered to follow the event online, from 30 countries of the region and the world.
The meeting, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), will take place in hybrid format (in-person and virtual) from the IICA headquarters in San José. The event will feature a high-level ministerial segment alongside technical exchanges involving various stakeholders, aimed at fostering good practices and promoting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 in the region, which seeks to "ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all." On this occasion, a high-level session on water and agriculture will be held in order to look for high-impact solutions on the water resources, taking into account that the agricultural sector is the main water consumer, with a consumption share over 70%.
Currently, 164 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean lack access to clean water, and 336 million lack safely treated sanitation. Over the past three decades, water-related disasters accounted for 88% of all such events in the region. In this context, it is essential to promote and accelerate a sustainable and inclusive water transition that guarantees the human right to clean water and safe sanitation, eliminates water poverty, reduces overexploitation and conflicts over water use, and serves as a catalyst for innovation and the circular economy.
The meeting will open on Monday, March 11 at 9:00 a.m. Costa Rica time (GMT-6) and will feature speeches by Doris Gutiérrez, Presidential Designate of Honduras, the country that holds the pro tempore presidency of CELAC; Arnoldo André Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica; José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC; and Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.
Over the course of three days, the implementation of the Regional Action Agenda for Water approved in 2023 will be reviewed with the aim of: i) analyzing the progress and challenges in achieving SDG 6, and ii) highlighting successful experiences and lessons learned for the attainment of this goal.
This edition will include a space for socializing and analyzing the Regional Position Summary Report in preparation for the 10th World Water Forum 2024, which summarizes the main challenges and proposals for action to address water challenges in the region.
WHO:
WHEN: Monday, March 11, Tuesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 13.
WHERE: Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Online through various ECLAC and IICA platforms:
ECLAC website: www.cepal.org
Special broadcast site: https://live.cepal.org/dialogosagua/
Official X accounts: https://twitter.com/eclac_un and https://twitter.com/IICAnoticias
Official Facebook accounts: https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu y https://www.facebook.com/IICAnoticias
For inquiries, please contact:
ECLAC Public Information Unit.
Email: prensa@cepal.org; Telephone: (+56 2) 22 10 20 40.
IICA's Institutional Communications Management.
