On February 25 and 26 we participated in the Latin American Meeting of Water Funds in Cartagena de Indias, where our Executive Director, Mariella Sánchez Guerra, represented Aquafondo together with leaders from 11 countries of the Latin American Alliance of Water Funds. We came together with a common purpose: to strengthen the water security of our territories and move towards larger scale solutions for the region.
For us, these meetings are much more than a work agenda. They are opportunities to connect visions, recognize lessons learned and build trust among those of us who share the responsibility of protecting the water sources of millions of people.
During two days we lived intense sessions of dialogue and collective construction. On the first day, the Water Funds shared the current status of our organizations, our lines of action, achievements, technical challenges, as well as our vision for the future. This recognition exercise allowed us to identify complementary capacities and to understand that, although the territorial contexts are diverse, the challenges we face are common.
Subsequently, we participated in strategic workshops aimed at building a joint regional value proposition, identifying priority needs and defining how we can strengthen financing, technical capacities and advocacy to scale our interventions in the territories. It was a space for reflection that allowed us to look beyond our individual realities and think as a region.
The second day focused on projecting this construction into the future. We discussed with international strategic allies, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and FEMSA Foundation. We also made progress in defining common principles, short- and medium-term priorities and the first outlines of a shared road map.
This meeting strengthens our commitment to continue promoting solutions that protect water sources and generate well-being for people.
At Aquafondo we will continue to coordinate efforts, mobilize alliances and promote concrete actions to make access to safe water a sustainable reality for Peru and the entire region.
Participating countries:
Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
