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THE PREPARATORY WORK OF THE AMERICAS TOWARDS THE 7TH
WORLD WATER FORUM WAS CONCLUDED
4-5 MARCH, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Source: International Affairs Division, ANEAS
Representatives from different countries including Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru,
Australia, Canada and Spain, and institutions and organisations of the water sector that participated in
the regional process of the Americas towards the WWF7 gathered in the Renaissance Hotel of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, 4-5 March, to conclude the preliminary work of the activities that provide the inputs to be
presented at the 7th World Water Forum in Korea, 12- April 17.
The Closing event of the Regional Process of the Americas was inaugurated by Beatriz Paredes
Ambassador of Mexico to Brazil, representing the Mexican Government, who recognised the important
role of water stakeholders in solving the existing global problems, concluding her speech by recalling the
poem "Song of the Usumacinta" by Carlos Pellicer. Among the participants of the opening ceremony
were: Roberto Olivares, Director General of the National Association of Water and Sanitation Utilities
of Mexico (ANEAS) and Coordinator of the Americas Regional Process for WWF7; Paulo Varela, Director
of the National Water Agency of Brazil (ANA); and Newton Lima Azevedo, Director of the Brazilian
Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries (ABDIB)
Ambassador Beatriz Paredes, Newton Lima, Paulo Varela and
Roberto Olivares
Subsequently, Roberto Olivares, presented the development and course of the regional process of the
Americas, explained how the WWF7 is organised, summarised the previous Fora, and reported on the
activities that have been conducted as a preliminary stage of the outcomes to be presented in Korea in
April.
Enrique Aguilar, the Consultant
responsible for the drawing-up
of the regional document of
the Americas, presented the
advances on the document,
indicating this was the basis of
the regional process, which is
currently being revised, in
order
to
be
analysed,
discussed and provided with
inputs from the meeting
attendees.
Enrique Aguilar, Consultant
The document integrates six priority themes: water and sanitation for all, water for food, water and
energy, change adaptation: risk management, ecosystem management for humans and nature,
governance and financing for sustainability, and as special theme: the human right to water.
As part of the activities to enrich the
document, a discussion panel was
held among regional organisations’
representatives, such as: Caridad
Canales, Economic Affairs Officer of
the Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),
Zelmira May, UNESCO-IHP for Latin
America and the Caribbean
Coordinator, Andres Rodríguez,
Representative
of
the
Iberoamerican Conference of Water
Directors (CODIA) Lupercio Ziroldo,
Technical Secretary of the Latin
Oscar Velez, Lupercio Ziroldo, Andres Rodriguez, Judith
American Network of Basin
Dominguez, Zelmira May, Caridad Canales and Giancarlo
Organizations (RELOC), Judith
Gerli in the discussion Panel
Dominguez, Researcher of the
College of Mexico, and Oscar
Velez, Representative of the Latin American Association of Water and Sanitation Operators (ALOAS),
moderated by Giancarlo Gerli, Alternate Representative of the World Water Council.
Caridad Canales opened the discussion panel by
saying the water sector is highly fragmented;
therefore the problem must be promptly
addressed.
Caridad Canales, ECLAC
Zelmira indicated that even though many of the
problems common to the region are not equally
important for all, there are common problems that
must be addressed.
Zelmira May, UNESCO
Judith Dominguez made some general observations on
the document indicating that the Americas should be
considered as a long-term theme, the document should
integrate the countries in the region, the stakeholders
should not only be governments, and it should reflect
that water is not only political but a social issue.
Judith Domínguez, COLMEX
Andrés Rodríguez expressed concern on climate change
and made some observations on the document, such as
considering the use of the term: “fracking” in chapter
five and suggested that it would be worthwhile to
include some successful cases, such as the hydrogeographical basin of Plata and Guaraní.
Andres Rodriguez, CODIA
Lupercio Ziroldo thanked the invitation, particularly to
Roberto Olivares, and replied to the first question
from the moderator by saying that one of the
document's contents showed that even water progress
has been made challenges remain, and suggested
governance should be presented in greater detail,
since many problems are recurrent but governance
does not repeat itself in the same way in all the
countries.
Lupercio Ziroldo, RELOC
Oscar Velez, ALOAS representative, indicated that the
industrial use of water is an important topic to be
addressed. A previous lesson has been the regulation of
the service, later the decentralisation of services; water is
a local service unlike other services and as all local
services, it should be decentralised. Another issue, he
said, is the pollution caused by industry.
Oscar Velez, ALOAS
Andrés Rodríguez said that the document should received critics to be improved; Lupercio stated the
document must be enriched to be disseminated by the Latin American network. Oscar Velez added that
the topic on reuse has considerably grown in the arid zones of Latin America; and that education, as a
vital topic, must be strengthen from grade schools.
Moreover, the participants jointly worked on the forum’s priority themes, supported by Dr. Javier
Aparicio, in order to feedback the regional document integrated by the process sub-regions: North
America, México, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America.
Subsequently, attendees discussed the document
in roundtables coordinated by Dr. Javier Aparicio,
Mexican consultant, who met with the
coordinators of the roundtables to reach a
consensus on the information obtained and
complete those items that were considered
missing or had to be reinforced.
Attendees discussed the regional document in
roundtables
On Thursday 5th March, the last meeting opened with a presentation by Dr. Javier Aparicio on the
conclusions from the previous day, he reported that among the participants’ opinions some issues
regarding water coincided. He stressed the need to address water governance; one of the main
challenges and stated that in the area of cooperation there is plenty to do in terms of water
management. He noted that the widespread view was that the document should be a guide to be taken
into consideration seriously and to be given timely follow up to be used as document-work and
presented at the World Water Forum.
During the closure of the final event of the regional
process of the Americas Dr. Benedito Braga, President
of the World Water Council commented that there is a
wide expectation on the World Water Forum in Korea,
for which more than 50 Head of States have confirmed
their attendance. The results of the meetings, including
the final closing session of the regional process of the
Americas will be presented in the Regional Process that
will be held along with the Political and Thematic
processes during the WWF7.
Roberto Olivares and Benedito Braga