Official launch of the Latin American and Caribbean Water Summit: a milestone for regional water governance

The International Secretariat for Water (ISW) announces its contribution to the Latin American and Caribbean Water Summit, to be held May 27-28, 2025 in Lima, Peru. This major event, organized at the initiative of the Peruvian government with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, represents a decisive step towards more inclusive and concerted water governance in the region.

A long-standing partnership with Peru

The ISW has been working closely with Peru for many years. This partnership has taken shape through a number of emblematic actions and programs, including: water and sanitation infrastructure projects in the Andes I (2016-2019), II (2020-2023) and III (2024-2026); the Blue Book I (20217), public consultations under the Blue Passport (as of 2016), the Blue Pact (2022), etc.

This cooperation was also illustrated at the 2023 United Nations Water Conference, during which the ISW and Peru co-organized a session of the official program on global water governance.

A large-scale regional initiative

It was in May 2024 that Peru’s Ministry of the Environment officially proposed, at the Table of Ministers of the Environment and Water of Latin America and the Caribbean – facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – the organization of a Regional Water Summit. The proposal was welcomed and unanimously adopted.

The official launch of the Summit on April 22, 2025, presided over by Head of State Dina Boluarte, in the presence of Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén and Environment Minister Juan-Carlos Castro, was attended by numerous diplomatic representations and international organizations. The ISW was able to present the priorities of civil society.

Towards a common roadmap for the region

This Summit is part of a regional drive to strengthen coordination, with the aim of establishing a unified roadmap on water for the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It aims to actively prepare the region’s participation in the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal.

Priorities include:

  • Access to water and sanitation
  • Integrated resource management at basin level
  • Transboundary water governance
  • Ecosystem services and biodiversity
  • Impacts of climate change

The Summit will also highlight the participation of indigenous communities, civil society and youth. In this respect, the Youth Parliament for Water in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Working Group on Water Policies in Latin America, both supported by the ISW, have already forwarded their recommendations to the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment.

Our renewed commitment

The International Secretariat for Water is delighted to see this vision, shared with Peru, come to reality. We remain fully mobilized to support regional players in this ambitious dynamic, and to make this Summit a pivotal moment for fair, sustainable and participatory water governance.