Santiago, Chile, 9–10 October 2025 - At the opening of the  V Regional Water Dialogues, held at ECLAC headquarters as part of  Regional Water Week 2025, Ms. Retno Marsudi, UN Special Envoy for Water, congratulated ECLAC for convening a space that brings together governments and key actors to think, debate and take action on water challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ms. Marsudi emphasized that water challenges are multifaceted and complex, requiring inclusive solutions grounded in solidarity and regional cooperation. She also highlighted the magnitude of social inequalities: 36 million people lack access to safe drinking water and over 120 million lack safely managed sanitation, facing persistent risks from scarcity and drought, exacerbated by climate change, natural disasters, and poverty .

To turn limitations into action, Ms. Marsudi called for focusing on three key drivers:

1. Innovation to accelerate technological, institutional, and nature-based solutions;
    
2. Financing to close the investment gap in resilient water projects; 
    
3. Political commitment that sustains governance frameworks and lasting alliances.

As a roadmap, Ms. Marsudi highlighted the Regional Water Action Agenda and urged that the results of the Dialogues inform the preparatory process and contribute tangibly to the success of the 2026 UN Water Conference, which is crucial for the future of water in the region. 

You can view the video of Ms. Retno Marsudi's speech here.