7th Latin America - Spain Water Dialogues

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Experts and leaders from the Latin American and Spanish water sectors will meet at this event to discuss the challenges arising with local and transboundary aquifers.

Groundwater contributes more than 40% of the world's irrigated crop production and a third of the water used in industries. It also sustains ecosystems, preserving the base flow of rivers and stabilizes soils. Aquifers also buffer impacts resulting from seasonal variability and climate change and are natural water storage reservoirs.

These values highlight the relevance and high dependence on the resource’s usage and conservation, which is threatened both by excessive use, leading to overexploitation and collateral effects, and by pollution caused by untreated discharges from various origins as well as chemical processes occurring in the geological environment.

During the 7th edition of the Latin America-Spain Water Dialogues, the challenges arising in local and transboundary aquifers will be discussed, in view of their relevance as a priority source of fresh water, promoting their rational use, protection, and if necessary their restoration, as well as the need to encourage (in the case of international aquifers), agreements that allow progress with joint policies and strategies between countries.

The Latin America-Spain Water Dialogues are part of a long-term strategic collaboration platform set up by CAF Development bank of Latin America and the Kingdom of Spain, through the Ministries for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MTERD), Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital (MAETD) y Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (MAEUEC). It is also supported by Casa de América y de iAgua.

Date: October 6, 2020

Hours: 4:00 pm Spain

9:00 am Colombia/Ecuador/Mexico/Panama/Peru

10:00 am Bolivia/Paraguay/Trinidad and Tobago/Venezuela

11:00 am Argentina/Brazil/Uruguay

The event will be streamed live here.

 

Program

*EDT
10:00 - 10:15 | Opening remarks
  • Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President, CAF -development bank of Latin America-
  • Teresa Ribera, Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Spain
  • Gonzalo García,  Secretary of State for the Economy and Business Support, Spain
10:15 - 10:30 | "State of the aquifers: Global panorama" Presentation
  • Neno Kukuric,  Director of the International Center for the Assessment of Underground Water Resources (IGRAC-UNESCO)
10:30 - 10:40 | "Strategic vision of aquifers in Latin America" Presentation
  • Christian Asinelli, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Programming, CAF -development bank of Latin America-
10:40 - 11:25 | "Challenges in the sustainable management of local aquifers" Session

Moderator:
Jorge Concha, Director of Analysis and Technical Evaluation of Sustainable Development, CAF -development bank of Latin America-

  • Víctor Bourguett, General Director  of the Valley of Mexico Basin Agency
  • Teodoro Estrela, Water General Director, MITERD, España
  • Yolanda González, IDEAM General Director , Colombia
11:25 - 12:10 | "Governance and hydrodiplomacy in transboundary aquifers" Session

Moderador:
Manuel Menéndez, Advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for the Environment MITERD
  • Gerardo Amarilla, Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Environment of Uruguay and President of CeReGAS (Guaraní Aquifer System)
  • Ricardo Andrade, Advisor to the Presidency, National Water Agency, Brazil
  • Laura Movilla, Professor of Public International Law, University of Vigo, Spain
12:10 - 12:25 |Conclusions and closing remarks
  • Julián Suárez Migliozzi, Vice President of Sustainable Development, CAF -development bank of Latin America-
  • Hugo Morán (to be confirmed) Secretary of State for the Environment, Spain 

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