Water resources
Water resources
América Latina y el Caribe se caracteriza por albergar casi un tercio de los recursos hídricos mundiales. Aun así, presenta altos niveles de estrés hídrico en ciudades y zonas productivas, un limitado acceso a agua potable, donde 166 millones de personas aún no cuentan con un servicio gestionado de forma segura, menos del 50% de aguas residuales son tratadas de forma adecuada y donde el 43% de los países de la región reporta niveles bajos en la Gestión Integrada de Recursos Hídricos. Para enfrentar estos desafíos y otros relacionados a conflictos por el uso del agua, la CEPAL está impulsando una transición hacia la gestión hídrica sostenible e inclusiva en la región, que persigue garantizar el derecho humano al agua potable y saneamiento gestionados de manera segura; revertir las externalidades negativas (contaminación, sobreexplotación, conflictos) que surgen por el actual modelo de gestión del agua; y, apostar a un manejo circular del agua para aprovechar y reducir la presión sobre el recurso hídrico. Para alcanzar estas metas, la CEPAL, promueve, de la mano de los países de América Latina y el Caribe, el fortalecimiento de sus sistemas de gobernanza del agua, en base a evidencia, para que sean más robustos, transparentes y eficaces.
Activities:

Caribbean Youth Dialogues 2025 in preparation of the ECOSOC Youth Forum
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an opportunity to galvanize action aimed at promoting greater inclusion of youth in all spheres. This roadmap recognizes in several of its goals the centrality of the full incorporation of youth as a necessary condition to move towards more inclusive societies, in which no one is left behind, on a path to sustainable development. However, youth in the Caribbean face many challenges that need to be addressed as precursors to creating environments that enable them to reach their maximum potential to contribute to the achievement of SDGs by 2030, thereby leaving a legacy for future youth generations.

Nature-based solutions to increase water availability for agriculture: Second Seminar of the ROSA Project
On Wednesday, May 29, ECLAC carried out the Second Seminar of the Network and Observatory for Water Sustainability (ROSA) Project, which analyzed opportunities to implement Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to increase water availability for agriculture. This event made it possible to disseminate the study that ECLAC is conducting on NbS in the context of Chile's Irrigation Promotion Law and facilitated the exchange of experiences among participating countries.

Study Tour on Resilient Water Infrastructures
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is organizing a study tour focusing on resilient water infrastructures. Scheduled from November 18 to 22, 2024, in Santiago, Chile, this tour aims to provide an in-depth understanding of water management systems and their significance in ensuring water security and sanitation in the region.

First Online Technical Assistance under the ROSA Project – Plurinational State of Bolivia
As part of the Water Sustainability Network and Observatory (ROSA) project, the first online technical assistance for the Plurinational State of Bolivia was held on February 15, 2024. This inaugural session aimed at covering topics from water governance and sustainability, to exploring national needs.
News:

Advances in the ROSA Project: Network and Observatory for Water Sustainability - Year 2: April 2024 - January 2025
Since its inception, the ROSA Project (Regional Network and Observatory for Water Sustainability) has been tasked with addressing the so-called "water and sanitation crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean." One of its main strategies has been to contribute to accelerating the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). However, the region generally lacks reliable statistics and information on water management, governance, and environmental aspects. Additionally, there is fragmentation of existing information across various national institutions, as well as unequal capacities among countries to report on sustainable water resource management indicators. Consequently, the main objective of the ROSA Project has been to strengthen the capacities of countries in the region to generate and use timely, reliable, and standardized information to promote effective policies and instruments for sustainable water management in a changing environment amid the challenges of climate change.

Activities of the Members of the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Expert Group on Water Resources during 2024
Water management is a complex challenge that requires a collaborative approach, as it encompasses multiple dimensions and stakeholders, demanding a strong commitment to foster dialogue and cooperation. In this context, the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Expert Group on Water Resources (LAC), established in 2022, serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas and innovative solutions that benefit the region. Through this platform, collaboration is encouraged in events, publications, and projects involving various stakeholders related to water issues in the region

ECLAC Reinforces the Call for Regional Collaboration on Sustainable Water Management at the XXV CODIA and XVI PHI-LAC Meetings in Costa Rica
ECLAC took part in the XVI Meeting of National Committees and Focal Points of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (PHI-LAC) in Costa Rica on November 4 and 5. Additionally, it participated in the XXV Conference of Ibero-American Water Directors and Authorities (CODIA), in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, on November 7 and 8, 2024, under the framework of the Technical Dialogue on “Water Use Efficiency and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)”.

For the second consecutive year, ECLAC supports the Federal Training Program on Integrated Water Resources Management, organized by the Federal Investment Council of Argentina.
The seminar on “Water Governance”, organized by the Water and Energy Unit of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC, presented an in-depth analysis of the current state of water resources in the region, the associated challenges, and proposals to improve water management and governance. The importance of strong governance to ensure equitable and sustainable access to water was highlighted, addressing aspects of public policy, sustainability, and gender equity.