Actors from government, civil society and water service users connected to this virtual activity, led by the EUROCLIMA+ Water project Adaptation in Action - Santa Lucia Basin.
In order to reflect on and assess the state of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) from a sub-national perspective in the Santa Lucía river basin, a virtual workshop was held on 25 November 2021, bringing together stakeholders from government, civil society and water service users.
This initiative was promoted by the National Water Directorate (Dinagua) of the Ministry of Environment, through the Adaptation in Action - Santa Lucia Basin project, which is part of the Urban Water sector of EUROCLIMA+, and was supported by the Global Water Partnership (GWP).
IWRM is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise the resulting economic and social wellbeing in an equitable manner, without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems, in line with Sustainable Development Goal - SDG 6.5, which states "By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including transboundary cooperation as appropriate".
During the opening, the national director of Climate Change, Natalie Pareja, highlighted the commitments made by the country and the importance of the articulated work between different actors to "continue building a sustainable future". Natalie Pareja participated on behalf of the National Director of Water, Viviana Pesce, and in this sense she also highlighted the importance of the coordinated work between the National Directorate of Water and the National Directorate of Climate Change.
The activity continued with a presentation by GWP's SDG 6 Programme Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Martinez, who spoke about water management in the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda. In this regard, he said that although water is associated with SDG 6, it is clearly linked to the other SDGs. "It is a connector, a driver of the other goals. By improving this one, we are boosting the other sustainable development goals," he said.
He also referred to the "vulnerable and finite" nature of water. Mr. Martinez also emphasised SDG 17 "Partnerships to achieve the goals" and expressed that the involvement and articulation between the different actors is fundamental.
Work then proceeded in groups to assess the 4 dimensions involved in IWRM: enabling environment; institutions and participation; management instruments; and financing.
The work was carried out on the basis of a form developed by the United Nations for IWRM assessment at national level and adjusted at basin level. This form gives a number representing the degree of implementation of IWRM in the different dimensions..
Based on the exchanges carried out in each group, Dinagua will systematise the information to present it in a new exchange session.
Adaptation in Action – Santa Lucía Watershed
Adaptation in Action - Santa Lucia Basin is a project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, through Dinagua, with funding from the European Union, through the EUROCLIMA+ programme, in the Urban Water sector, implemented by the French Development Agency - AFD and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation - AECID.
This project aims to strengthen the resilience of Montevideo and its metropolitan area, as well as that of the urban localities in the Santa Lucia River basin, to the impacts of climate variability and change, focusing efforts on integrated water resources management to guarantee the quantity and quality of their source of drinking water.
The specific objectives are: to adopt technology and modelling in the management of water resources in the Santa Lucia River basin and to strengthen its governance from a rights-based perspective to support decision-making and public policy formulation from an integrated management perspective.
EUROCLIMA+ Water management sector with an urban resilience perspective
Through this sector of the EUROCLIMA+ programme implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD), a total of seven projects will be implemented. For more information on each project, please visit: https://www.euroclima.org/en/water
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and UN Environment.