II Meeting of the regional group of experts on water resources in Latin America and the Caribbean

On September 22, the Water and Energy Unit of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC organized the second meeting of the regional group of experts on water resources in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This group is made up of more than twenty members who represent the most prestigious institutions working on water issues in the region.

The LAC regional group of experts was formed under the auspices of UN-Water, which is promoting the consolidation of these regional discussion groups in the five Regional Commissions of the United Nations System. The objective of these groups is to strengthen and accelerate, through joint work, the implementation of SDG 6.

The objectives of the meeting were: i) to review the activity of the regional group of experts to date (balance of the first six months since the consolidation in March 2022), and ii) to explore opportunities for collaboration in the framework of the Water Conference of the United Nations 2023 and the Regional Dialogues on Water, to be held at ECLAC between January 18 and 20, 2023 in a hybrid format.

The meeting was moderated by Silvia Saravia, economic affairs officer of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC, who also offered a few words of welcome. The points addressed in the event are detailed below.

First, Naiara Costa, Senior Sustainable Development Officer of the United Nations, presented aspects related to the organization of the 2023 UN Water Conference, such as the modality and structure, and also explained the potential spaces where the regional group of experts could participate.

For its part, the ECLAC water team presented the region’s progress in the preparatory process for the 2023 Water Conference, as well as details of the Third Edition of the 2023 Water Dialogues. In addition, expressions of interest were collected from part of the members of the regional group of experts to participate in the brainstorming of solutions for the 2023 Water Dialogues. Subsequently, they reviewed bulletins No. 1 and 2 of the regional group of experts, and the next edition was planned, which will come out in the month of November 2022. Finally, a space for discussion and exchange was opened with all members.

In conclusion, the regional group of experts has reached agreements and will continue working to promote the development of the region through the acceleration of SDG 6.