ECLAC publishes Progress report on regional preparatory process of Latin America and the Caribbean for the mid-term review of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028" and the United Nations Water Conference 2023

Within the framework of the mid-term review of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028" and the United Nations Water Conference 2023, ECLAC has developed three initiatives to accelerate the achievement of SDG 6 in Latin America and the Caribbean: i) Annual Water Dialogues, ii) consolidation of the Regional Water Expert Group and iii) Online regional consultation on water priorities.

The summary of these initiatives can be found in the report "Regional inputs for the mid-term review of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028" and the United Nations Water Conference 2023" that will be presented in the conference in New York as a regional input. The key messages derived from these initiatives are summarized below:

1) ECLAC is promoting a sustainable and inclusive water transition that guarantees the human right to water and sanitation, in a fair and affordable manner, reversing the negative externalities associated with the use of water, and circular management of water resources.

Some actions taken by the countries in the region to achieve SDG 6 are: the strengthening of governance through the development of intersectoral water institutions; the inclusion of the human right to water in the Constitution; the generation of intergovernmental agreements; the creation of national water policies and programs, the establishment of social tariffs, the development of economic incentives for the protection of the environment and the promotion of innovation and green technologies.

3) Major investment efforts are required in the region to achieve SDG 6:

i) According to ECLAC, an annual investment of 1.3% of the regional GDP between now and 2030 would result in universal access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation, generating up to 3.4 million jobs per year.

ii) According to UN-Water, current investment efforts need to be multiplied by 14 to accelerate implementation and achieve SDG 6 by 2030.

4) The most prioritized issues in terms of water resources for the different stakeholders in LAC are the strengthening of governance and institutionality for the integrated management of water resources and guaranteeing access and affordability to drinking water and sanitation managed safely.

The full report can be found as an attached document.