CAF promotes strategic alliances in the water sector between Spain and Latin America

Once again this year, Murcia is the setting for the Jornadas Futuro en Español, organised by CAF -development bank of Latin America-, together with Vocento and the newspaper La Verdad. In this 5th edition, under the title "Circular water economy and sustainable production", experts from Latin America and Spain met to reflect on the importance of water management and its efficient use, a challenge that requires joint collaboration to achieve it.

The forum was welcomed by Ignacio Corlazzoli, manager for Europe, Asia and the Middle East of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, and Alberto Aguirre, director of the newspaper La Verdad. Both highlighted the usefulness of this type of meeting between experts from both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen ties and collaborations that result in the improvement of efficient water management in a sustainable manner.

Corlazzoli stressed that "given the current situation, Latin America can become Europe's strategic partner in its food security policy". He also announced CAF's firm objective of "becoming the green bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching the figure of 40% in green financing by 2026, where Spain will play a very important role". He also emphasised the importance of promoting the exchange of experiences and knowledge between both regions in this sector, which is essential to improve the projects with which CAF supports the development of Latin American countries.

In this regard, the CAF director thanked the Murcia region for the welcome given to the Latin American specialists who participated from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic in the technical mission organised by CAF to learn first-hand about the successful innovative solutions that the region has developed for the management and control of water resources, making a virtue out of necessity. 

For his part, the President of the Community of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, assured that Murcia will continue to be a world example in water management and his desire to continue strengthening ties with Latin America. He also announced the Second Sanitation and Purification Plan with the granting of more than 28 million euros in an aid plan to improve energy efficiency in the region of Murcia. 

The conference was divided into three panels, which discussed the circular economy of water, sustainable production, water efficiency and ecological transition; and finally, the challenges of climate change in water management.

Regarding the circular economy of water, Antonio Morales, CAF's Water and Sanitation Sector Specialist, who moderated the debate, highlighted that our current model of society faces crucial challenges of adaptation, which involve the implementation of new sustainable production models in water management, with new consumption habits and which, combined with appropriate investments, guarantee water security, protection of ecosystems and the promotion of biodiversity.

Francisca Baraza, Government Delegate in the Mancomunidad de Canales de Taibilla (MCT) and Ignacio Díaz, Director of the Entidad Saneamiento y Depuración de Aguas Residuales de la Región de Murcia (Esamur), who shared the Murcia experience, took part in this round table. Also participating were Latin American specialists Francisco Adolfo Dumler, technical specialist in Water and Sanitation (Peru); and Othón Zevallos Moreno, manager of Metropolitina de Agua Potable y Saneamiento (Epmaps-Agua de Quito), who highlighted CAF's important work as a partner for the development of their countries, not only with financial support, but also with specialised technical knowledge.

Moderated by Manuel Buitrago, head of the Local Area of La Verdad, the second panel, which addressed another of the major global objectives: the ecological transition, María del Carmen Ruiz Sánchez, CSIC researcher at the Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS); Ricardo García Lorenzo, deputy director of Agri-food Innovation at Cajamar and director of Cajamar Innova; Lucas Jiménez, president of the Sindicato Central de Regantes del Acueducto Tajo-Segura, and Sebastián Loggio, financial manager of the Ente Nacional de Obras Hídricas de Saneamiento (Argentina), who highlighted the serious access problems suffered by Argentina, with 20 of its 45 million inhabitants without access to sewage networks.

It is a fact that climate change is creating a new reality that we must face and that this means new challenges when it comes to managing water. These challenges were discussed by Mario Urrea, president of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura. Ana Hernández, R&D&I director of the Paloma Hortofrutícola Group; and Luis Miguel Peregrín, president of AgritechMur. From Latin America, Hugo Ruíz, director general of Agua Potable y Saneamiento (Paraguay) and Juan Fulvio Ureña Meléndez, environmental management advisor of the Instituto de Recursos Hidráulicos (Dominican Republic) took part. For his part, Ruíz affirmed that in Paraguay, governance in the water sector is essential for development. Ureña wanted to highlight the impact that climate change has on the Dominican Republic, and how the region must be a pioneer in the fight against this global challenge. The moderator of this panel was Concepción Marcuello, Deputy Assistant Director General of Planning and Sustainable Use of Water, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.

Futuro en Español has become an essential event for CAF due to the opportunity for synergies offered by this meeting, which brings together research centres, companies and authorities to present and exchange their experiences, giving CAF the opportunity to reflect on and incorporate them into its action plan.

This forum, an initiative of Vocento and CAF, was created in 2011 with the aim of disseminating the possibilities offered by the use of Spanish in the world and to sound out the strength of the language as a bridge for business and culture.