The first SWA Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) held virtually on 18 November, built on previous global Finance Ministers Meetings organized by SWA in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2017.
The SWA Latin America and the Caribbean FMM was co-convened by global partners UNICEF and the World Bank Water Global Practice, as well as a regional partner the Inter-American Bank.
The objective of the SWA Latin America and the Caribbean FMM was to develop and strengthen partnerships with finance ministers in the region for smart investments in water, sanitation and hygiene. The meetings underscored the crucial role of water, sanitation and hygiene to the Latin American and the Caribbean economies, population, and environment during and after COVID-19, and offered ministers practical avenues for financing the sector. Ministers and leaders from United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, civil society, private sector, and research and learning participated in the Latin America and the Caribbean FMM.
The SWA Latin America and the Caribbean FMM was preceded by a 2-month preparatory process that relied on multi-stakeholder dialogue at the country level to ensure that finance and sector ministers are briefed and ready to actively participate in the FMM.
The SWA Latin America and the Caribbean FMM was live-streamed and simultaneous translated in English, French and Spanish.
PARTICIPANTS
FINANCE AND SECTOR MINISTERS
Hon. Michel Patrick Boisvert
Minister of Economy and Finance, Haiti
Hon. Isaac Castro Esquivel
Vice Minister of Expenditure, Costa Rica
Hon. Dr. Marco Antonio Midence Milla
State Secretary, Finance Offices, Honduras
Hon. Iván Acosta Montalván
Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Republic of Nicaragua
Speaker
Hon. Alvaro Gonzalez Ricci
Minister of Public Finance, Guatemala
Hon. Elian Villegas Valverde
Minister of Finance, Costa Rica
Speaker
Hon. Jaime Andres Ortiz Acosta
Vice Minister of Water of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Ecuador
Hon. Paulo Arturo Proaño Andrade
Minister of Environment and Water, Ecuador
Hon. Juan Santos Cruz
Minister of Environment and Water, Bolivia
Hon. Arnoldo Wiens Durksen
Minister of Public Works and Communications, Paraguay
Hon. Guillermo José González
Minister-Director of the National System for Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters (SINAPRED), Nicaragua
Hon. Andrea Meza Murillo
Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
Hon. Jose Luis Acero Vergel
Vice Minister of Housing, City and Territory, Colombia
Mr. Whitfield M. Harris
Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance, the Economy and Public Administration, Antigua and Barbuda
Mr. Rodolfo Lacayo Ubau
Acting Executive Director of the National Water Authority (ANA), Nicaragua
HEADS OF UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES, INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND ORGANIZATIONS
Mauricio J. Claver-Carone
President, Inter-American Development Bank
Speaker
Henrietta Fore
Executive Director, UNICEF
Speaker
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director-General, WHO
Speaker
Ángel Gurría
Secretary General, OECD
Speaker
Yamileth Astorga
President of Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AYA)
Speaker
Rebeca Grynspan
Ibero-American Secretary-General
Speaker
Dr. Sasha Kramer
Founder and CEO, SOIL
Speaker
Yalkiria Pineda
Executive Director, CEAMUJER
Speaker
Vijay Rangarajan
Director-General, Americas and Overseas Territories, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK
Speaker
Hon. Kevin Rudd
High-level Chair, SWA
Speaker
Jennifer J. Sara
Global Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank
Speaker
Magdy Esteban Martínez Solimán
Director, AECID
Speaker
The Finance Ministers' Meeting preparatory process
Engage in a dedicated preparatory process to strengthen and catalyze in-country dialogues and actions, and prepare Ministers of Finance for their participation at the FMM.
Global co-conveners
Latin American and the Caribbean Region co-convener
FINANCING WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE IN Latin America and the Caribbean
Closing the financing gap can be achieved through a combination of measures, including maximizing the use of existing resources and mobilizing additional finance from taxes, tariffs and transfers. Although Latin American and the Caribbean countries are at different stages of socio-economic development and will have different political and governance arrangements that will be more or less conducive to different forms of financing, they all have something in common: the need to increase the prioritization of water, sanitation and hygiene in national plans and budgets, especially during a time of public health concerns.
Several Latin American and the Caribbean countries are implementing innovative policies that are already proving the positive impact of water, sanitation and hygiene investment. These case-studies are included in SWA’s Water & Sanitation: How to Make Public Investment Work - A Handbook for Finance Ministers.
Water and Sanitation - How to make public investment work
A Handbook for Finance Ministers
The FMM will also draw on practical financing approaches from the Finance Handbook. Watch videos below from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that have successfully implemented innovative financing mechanisms.
Webinars
Documents
View all Key documents| Key documents | Type |
|---|---|
| SWA Report on the 2020 Finance Ministers’ Meetings | |
| 2020 Finance Ministers' Meetings: Ideas and suggestions for follow-up at country level | |
| 2020 Country Overview: Mexico | |
| Agenda: SWA Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers' Meeting | |
| FMM 2020 - CSO Messages | |
| About the 2020 FMMs | |
| Launch of the Handbook for Finance Ministers and kick-off of the preparatory process for the Finance Ministers' Meeting | |
| Guidance Note: 2020 virtual Regional Finance Ministers' Meetings |
