In This Issue: Spotlight on ECLAC’s (CEPAL) Water Dialogues 

“Dialogues of Water for the Accelerated and Intersectoral Implementation of SDG 6,“ a virtual event co-hosted by ECLAC, UNESCO PHI-LAC, BMU, and CONAGUA, went live this April 29th. This public dialogue was held with the purpose of highlighting actions required to guarantee adequate sanitation and the sustainable management of water resources by 2030 across Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The speakers, whose affiliations spanned both foreign and regional organizations and governments, generally agreed upon both the current status of water inequity in Latin America and the Caribbean and general action required in order to have any hope of meeting the goals set forth by SDG 6. However, each speaker brought with them the salience of challenges facing their regions of interest, and solutions which reflected their expertise, making this dialogue bold and broad, if a little disorganized. 

For example: Mr. Christian Hellbach, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chile, identified a lack of water access in the region as a double-edged sword, sharpening social inequalities while cutting down opportunities to escape poverty. This perspective was echoed by other speakers, including Ms. Rayen Quiroga, Head of the Water and Energy Unit of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC, and the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Sciences for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms. Lidia Brito, both of whom noted the essential nature of water as not only a resource for mitigating social inequalities, but also for sustainable development in the region. However, where Mr. Hellbach highlighted the importance of circular water management and nature-based water management practices, Ms. Quiroga emphasized the importance of collaboration across countries to mitigate water contamination and scarcity. With Chile having recently entered the 10th year of the worst drought conditions seen in over the last half century, and Ms. Quiroga working for a commission dedicated to economic cooperation, it is evident that each party was speaking to their experience and expertise. 

The dialogue highlighted not only the importance of technological innovations, Integrated Water Resources Management, and partnerships across the public and private sectors, but also the vastness and complexity of water resource concerns throughout the region. Ultimately, what hits home are not the specifics of solutions to sanitation and water security problems, but this: though there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to the complex water and sanitation problems plaguing Latin America and the Caribbean, each region can learn from the proposals, projects, and ingenuity of the others, with the objective of eliminating water injustice weaving together disparate communities across diverse territories. 

Happy Reading, 

Shea Cheatham, Water Justice Lab Director, Region360 

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