10th Water Dialogues: a call to action for water resilience in cities

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, in collaboration with Casa de América and the Government of Spain, carried out the tenth edition of the Water Dialogues under the motto “Water resilience in cities.”

The event was inaugurated by León de la Torre Krais, general director of Casa de América, who highlighted the alignment of the event with the founding principles of the institution: «Throughout these years, we have worked to promote these Ibero-American values ​​between Spain and America through various initiatives that address critical issues such as water management. This forum is, without a doubt, one more step to build a more resilient future together.

Sergio Díaz-Granados, executive president of CAF, emphasized the triple challenge of being more green, digital and energy and that, to achieve this, water resilience in cities is a central issue; He also pointed out the paradoxical situation of the region: «Latin America and the Caribbean have more than a third of the planet’s freshwater resources. However, the impact of the water crisis could cost close to $7 billion in 2024, whether due to floods or droughts. “We are in a great contradiction: we have a lot of water in the region, but it is poorly distributed and managed.”

Díaz-Granados also highlighted the gaps in access to safe water and wastewater treatment, and stressed that “CAF carries out direct operations in cities, guaranteeing that solutions reach where they are most needed and where the response capacity is fastest.” ».

Hugo Morán, Secretary of State for the Environment of Spain, thanked CAF for a decade of cooperation in the field of water and highlighted the importance of nature-based solutions: “It is no longer just about conserving but restoring ecosystems “in such a way that once recovered, nature itself can help us protect ourselves against the effects of climate change.”

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Inés Carpio, general director of International Financing at MITECO, highlighted: «Water is a public good, with a key economic impact and a determining environmental impact. But the most important thing is its social impact, since water, in all its dimensions and throughout its cycle, is essential for people’s quality of life.

Loic Fauchon, president of the World Water Council, concluded: “The lack of water and the excess of water, which manifest themselves in droughts and floods, represent the same struggle to guarantee the quantity and quality of water resources.”

There were five panels; The first addressed general issues around water security, in which the Minister of Public Works of Chile, Jessica López, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador, Fernando López, and the governor of the province of Neuquén participated. Rolando Figueroa, moderated by Ángel Cárdenas, manager of urban development, water and creative economies at CAF.

Water is a public good, with a key economic impact and a determining environmental impact.

The other panels addressed crucial topics such as the promotion of the circular economy in sustainable cities, the commitment to nature-based solutions for greener cities, and the automation and innovation in water and sanitation services, as well as financing for local governments. , with the participation of prominent figures from the public and private sectors, also including mayors and international experts, reaffirming the commitment of CAF and its allies to sustainable development and water security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition, there was the opportunity to award the first three places in the Water Resilience in Cities Contest launched by CAF, in which there were more than 240 proposals from 17 countries, as well as the launch of the 4th edition of the course. massive online course (MOOC) on Dams and Reservoirs.