Andean region countries work together on multipurpose projects for water resources proposals.

 

Peruvian representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, National Water Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and EGEMSA met with Colombian officials from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Mines and Energy, National Planning Department, National Parks, IDEAM, Bogota Energy Group (and others) to participate in the Andean Regional Workshop: Discussion to Promote Multipurpose Water Projects as a measure of adaptation to climate change and risk management in mountain areas.

The event was held 9-10 April at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia) organized by the Glaciers+ Project. This is a Swiss Cooperation for Development initiative, and since 2018 it has promoted opportunities for collaboration and discussion, exploring new approaches to adaptation to tackle possible water deficit scenarios, identifying gaps, defining guidelines and promoting efficient solutions.

The main objective of the Andean Regional Workshop was to produce learning and synergies and to develop inputs for promoting multipurpose projects (MPPs) at the local and regional level, geared to comprehensive water resources management and disaster risk in river basins in a context of climate change.

The workshop helped to consolidate this approach to adaptation and to recognize the need to address climate change, risk management and water resources from a multi-sector perspective, designing clear instruments and guidelines for formulating and implementing such projects. In addition, the workshop provided the participants with opportunities for inter-institutional meetings on both days, strengthening synergies between peers and collaboration between both countries. They discussed various topics, including methodologies for measuring water supply, progress in formulating multi-sector projects and exchanges for designing and operating MPPs.

Data
The Glaciers Project is an initiative of Swiss-Peru cooperation and is part of the Global Climate Change Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by the University of Zurich and CARE Peru consortium.

The Glaciers+ Project has been encouraging discussion for disseminating and consolidating the multi-purpose project adaptation approach at a national and regional Andean scale, identifying the conditions for implementing them, and the challenges, opportunities and strategies involved.

The workshop will be replicated on 2 and 3 May in Santiago, Chile, where Chilean and Peruvian officials will continue to share and exchange experiences with the MPP-based approach.

Image Gallery – Flickr SDC

 

For further information:
Glaciers Project, (Project Information) ficha de proyecto, Swiss Embassy, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Web Glaciers Project
Video Glaciers+ Project timeline