From 11 to 15 August 2024, ECLAC participated in the prestigious IWA World Water Congress, held in Toronto, Canada. This global event, renowned for fostering discussions and exchanges on water management and policy, brought together leading professionals, researchers, and decision-makers from various sectors.
Dr. Silvia Saravia Matus, Economic Affairs Officer in the Water and Energy Unit of ECLAC’s Natural Resources Division, represented the organization and played a key role in enriching debates related to water management policies and strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean and significantly improving global understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the region.
She was invited to speak at the workshop entitled “Boosting the Adoption of Innovation in the Water Sector,” which was chaired by Blanca Antizar and Elvira Serra from ISLE Utilities, United Kingdom, along with other prominent participants such as Yang Villa, Hub Manager at the Asian Development Bank; Berta Macheve, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist at the World Bank; Ruben Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of Aguas do Porto; Helen Omolanke Taiwo from Lagos Water Corporation; and Juan Baeza, Professor and Head of the Department of Chemical, Biology, and Environmental Engineering at Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB).
The workshop aimed to exchange experiences to maximize the impact of innovation and cooperation alliances at a global level for a sustainable future. The central theme of the discussion was the question: “How can water innovation efforts be aligned with circular economy principles in Latin America and the Caribbean?”, for which, the diverse group of experts shared lessons learned and best practices on innovation and cooperation alliances within and outside the water sector; discussed how to create new alliances, identifying the main barriers, facilitators for the adoption of innovation, and knowledge gaps from concept development to market acceptance. In turn, based on global experiences, they agreed on recommendations for new innovators and entrepreneurs in the water sector and adjacent sectors to boost the adoption of innovation for a sustainable future.
Dr. Silvia Saravia Matus explored the potential of the circular economy to transform small and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Addressing the region's challenges, including insufficient wastewater treatment and high energy costs associated with water services, she underlined the fact that only 46% of wastewater in the region is safely treated.
The presentation emphasized the importance of integrating circular practices into water management, particularly through resource recovery, water reuse, and the development of sustainable infrastructure. The challenges unique to the region, such as the need for stronger infrastructure to support wastewater transport and treatment, were highlighted alongside the opportunities for adopting circular economy principles to mitigate methane emissions and generate renewable energy.
ECLAC’s ongoing initiatives in countries like El Salvador and Colombia were presented as successful examples of collaboration between public and private sectors to promote the circular economy in the water sector. Positive results from recent projects in medium-sized cities were also shared, where methane recovery systems in WWTPs have shown significant economic and environmental benefits.
The congress provided an excellent platform where the knowledge shared by ECLAC, backed by extensive regional experience, reinforced the organization's leadership in promoting sustainable practices for water management throughout Latin America and the Caribbean; and where, together with other actors, it reaffirmed its commitment to advancing water innovation in line with the principles of the circular economy for the achievement of SDG 6.
