About the Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers' Meeting
The SWA partnership has been convening regular High-level Meetings (HLMs) of ministers and other high-level representatives of SWA partners, since 2010, fostering an ongoing high-level political dialogue. This dialogue is especially important now, when governments need solutions to transform access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for all, including to improve economies, spare health systems, and protect populations from public health pandemics.
On 19 April 2024, the Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers' Meeting (LAC FMM), hosted by IADB, and co-convened by SWA and UNICEF, will focus on how Ministers of Finance, together with other government and development partners, can transform access to water and sanitation in their country and unleash the economic and social benefits that will ensure the necessary resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Discussions at the meeting will centre on inspiring and aspirational examples of countries that have achieved their development and climate goals through improving water and sanitation services, ensuring inclusive finance for a resilient future.
This focus on practical, integrated solutions will ensure that the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Finance Ministers Meeting is a productive meeting for finance ministers, sector ministers and high-level representatives from other constituencies. Links will be made with the Regional Process for the Americas for the X World Water Forum, coordinated by the IDB, as well as the Finance in Common 2023 Summit that took place in Cartagena in August 2023. Coordinated efforts with the World Bank will also be pursued. It will also integrate the work of SWA’s recently launched Heads of State Initiatives together with UNICEF, IRC, and the Netherlands’ Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS).
The 90 meeting will be held at the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC. The meeting will take place in Spanish, Portuguese, English and French.
Hosted by
Co-convenors
Objective: Ensuring Sanitation and Water for All
The LAC FMM seeks to inspire Ministers of Finance and their sector counterparts to devise financing solutions and strategies to transforming access to water and sanitation services for economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Participants will also be encouraged to promote alignment across initiatives and commitments such as Agenda 2030, the Water Action Agenda, and the SWA Mutual Accountability Mechanism with an eye to global moments for reflection offered by The Summit of the Future, as well as the 2024 G20 summit and 2025’s COP 30, which are to be held in Brazil.
Videos
Review and make new commitments under the Mutual Accountability Mechanism
Ahead and during the meeting, Ministers of Finance from LAC region are invited to showcase their progress and commit to financing solutions aimed at increasing access to water and sanitation in their countries.
The LAC FMM provides a strategic opportunity for these finance commitments to be reviewed and for new ones to be submitted.
Speakers
H.E. Laura Chinchilla
SWA Global Leader and Former President of the Republic of Costa Rica
Ilan Goldfajn
President, Inter-American Development Bank
Catherine Russell
Executive Director, The United Nations Children's Fund
Rémy Rioux
Directeur Général, Agence Française de Développement
Sergio Díaz-Granados
Presidente Ejecutivo, CAF- Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe
Format and Content
Ministers from across the LAC region will have an opportunity to share their successes in mobilizing finance for WASH and strategize how to leverage water and sanitation services within the climate conversation - as nations but also as a region. This meeting will also reflect recent recommendations, such as those of the OECD Commission on the Economics of Water, which require that water and sanitation are embraced as social goods. The meeting will highlight how water and sanitation reinforces the development of other sectors such as education and health: every dollar spent on water and sanitation leads to greater economic and social development across all sectors.
The main focus of finance for all for a resilient future will be deepened by exploring:
- Government budgets and the availability of public finance, particularly to reduce inequalities
- Improved efficiencies in sector performance
- The role of public development banks and innovative long-term investments.
- Climate finance and investments to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
- Debt reduction initiatives to create fiscal space for investment in water and sanitation.
This in-person meeting will be a platform for short and succinct interventions that provide a foundation for exchange between participants. Shared experiences will foster cross-country learning, promoting conversation between ministers, rather than statements of achievements.
The event will feed SWA’s global efforts to secure a “Triple A” rating for the sector – through Ambition, Action and Accountability.
Expected Outcomes
Finance ministers seize opportunities to increase investments in access to water and sanitation as way to reduce social costs, increase tax revenues, and investor confidence.
Finance ministers are brought together in ongoing initiatives with Heads of State or Government, relevant line ministries and other partners, such as public and regional development banks and other potential investors, on the steps they will take to use existing and future opportunities to increase investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Finance ministers see water and sanitation as key development indicators to achieve Agenda 2030; among other national development goals.
Webinars
Documents
View all Key documents| Key documents | Type |
|---|---|
| 2024 Latin America and the Carribean Finance Ministers' Meeting Report | |
| LAC SMD Ministerial Declaration | |
| LAC Sector Ministers’ Dialogue Concept Note | |
| LAC Sector Ministers’ Dialogue Agenda | |
| Agenda LAC FMM 2024 | |
| LAC FMM Country Brief Template | |
| LAC FMM Guidance Note | |
| MAM Commitments in focus of Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| LAC FMM Concept Note |
Sector Ministers' Dialogue
The Sector Ministers’ Dialogue is taking place directly after the 2024 LAC Finance Ministers’ Meeting, and is co-organized by SWA and UNICEF, and hosted by IDB. The agenda will echo the themes of that meeting, but with a focus on the interests and mandates of sector ministers responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene. The meeting will gather relevant experts to present and inspire Sector ministers with forward looking solutions for universal access to water and sanitation, including building the enabling environment to attract new resources, identifying additional sources of finance and to use existing resources more effectively.
This Dialogue, together with the Finance Ministers’ Meeting, promotes the development of national financing strategies and public policies and will present solutions to accelerate the achievement of the universal access to water and sanitation. In turn, the Dialogue will contribute to the strong political momentum in Latin America including for follow-up and tracking of national commitments through LatinoSan, Ibero-american Summit in November 2024 which will focus on innovation, inclusion and sustainability. It will further serve as a stepping stone towards the SWA global Sector Ministers Meeting scheduled for 2025.
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SWA put together communication materials and key messages to help partners and other stakeholders in their communication outreach to promote smart investment in water, sanitation and hygiene, and around the SWA 2024 Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers’ Meeting.
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