Dr. Silvia Saravia Matus, Economic Affairs Officer at ECLAC, opened the event by contextualizing the ROSA Project. She provided a brief recap of the content covered in the previous training sessions, introducing the session’s agenda. She concluded her remarks by presenting the guest speakers: Ms. Chantal Demilecamps and Ms. Lucia de Strasser, from the United Nations Water Convention Secretariat (UNECE/UN); Ms. Yarid Guevara, from the Ministry of Environment of Panama; Ms. Cecilia Atherton Revillard, from Panama's Permanent Mission to the United Nations; and Mr. David Rada, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
Ms. Chantal Demilecamps began the session by discussing the principles and content of the 1992 UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. She also highlighted several aspects of international law regarding transboundary waters.
Ms. Lucia de Strasser followed with a presentation on the history and current status of the Water Convention at the global level and in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). She outlined the advantages and obligations for member countries, explained how the Water Convention operates (its work program and tools), and discussed the Convention's working groups and the various topics they address. She also highlighted the Convention's impact and achievements over the past 30 years.
Ms. Yarid Guevara and Ms. Cecilia Atherton Revillard shared Panama's experience as the first country in the Latin America and Caribbean region to adhere to the Water Convention. They specifically discussed the different stages of the accession process and the benefits of its implementation in strengthening international cooperation efforts on shared waters.
Representing the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Mr. David Rada emphasized the importance of the topic in the national context, noting that Bolivia shares a significant portion of its water bodies with neighboring countries. He also presented the country's progress in establishing cooperation mechanisms.
Please find the recording of the evente here.
