Switzerland participated actively in the Forum, reaffirming its commitment and support for the strengthening of the coordination efforts of the United Nations and Member States to promote policy consistency in the water sector and to establish an inclusive and regular dialogue that would allow for coordination, knowledge sharing, and efficiency.

SDC’s Global Programs in the Andes and the Swiss Water Partnership drew the participants’ attention to the following critical points in order to achieve tangible results in the water field: a) Water as a source of Peace and Cooperation, b) Accelerating the implementation of the human rights to water and sanitation, c) Collective action for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), d) Promoting private sector social investment in water and sanitation, e) Empowering youth, f) Emphasizing gender equality, g) Promoting nature-based water solutions, h) Adequately protecting and managing groundwater, and i) Promoting and encouraging cross-border water cooperation in accordance with international law.

It should be noted that SDC’s Global Programme Water Initiatives (GPWIs) has been promoting projects in the region that respond to global challenges in terms of water resources management, as well as in relation to access to drinking water and the use and supply of water for agriculture, industry, and households. These projects include: Water Diplomacy, SuizAgua, and the SABA+ project for access to water and sanitation in rural areas.

In this regard, SuizAgua participated at the «Water Business Day», an ideal space to underscore the importance of building trust among companies, relevant stakeholders, and science; transparent management of information on water uses for collective decision-making; and the key role of policies focused on valuing water and achieving appropriate water fees that can encourage the efficiency of water use, its treatment, and reuse.

Likewise, at the Swiss Pavilion, the SABA+ Project presented the lessons learned that have been disseminated and have crossed borders to reach other Latin American countries, such as Colombia (where the ASIR – SABA project is being carried out, replicating the project in four post-conflict rural municipalities.) This has made SABA a benchmark both in Peru and in the Latin American region because of its long-term work together with rural stakeholders in water and sanitation for approximately two decades.

Furthermore, taking into account the successful past experiences with SABA and in line with Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDC told the audience that a new Global Water and Sanitation initiative is being considered, which should place even more emphasis at the regional level in Latin America and globally, cooperating more closely with multilateral stakeholders.

Finally, through a series of presentations, SDC showed how the programs, projects, and contributions of the Global Programme Water Division work to face the main global challenges related to water resources management, including access to drinking water and the use of water for agriculture, industry, and households; focusing on inequality and poverty, contributing to the reduction of global risks and to a world with water security.