News Releases

Jun 12, 2008

IDB showcases water and sanitation providers from Latin America at Expo Zaragoza

Representatives from eight countries present successful case-studies at international exhibition on water and sustainable development

To highlight successful solutions to the water and sanitation problems facing low-income communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank will sponsor eight participants to Expo Zaragoza, an international exhibition on water and sustainable development in Spain.

The International Exhibition of Zaragoza 2008 will be hosted by the capital city of the Aragon region of Spain from 14 June to 14 September 2008. It will bring together representatives of over 100 countries, the European Union, the United Nations, and numerous civil society organizations to discuss solutions with regard to water and sustainable development. Over a three-month period Expo Zaragoza will host dozens of seminars and panel sessions.

The IDB is sponsoring presentations at Expo Zaragoza of case-studies of water and sanitation initiatives in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Uruguay. The Bank has also commissioned outside experts to write in-depth analyses of each of these case studies and will be publishing the results in the months ahead.

“Not enough attention has been paid to the quality of management of water and sanitation services—be they public or private,” IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno said. “As part of our work in this sector, we want to help replicate the expertise of local providers who have built a successful track record of providing quality services in low-income settings. Expo Zaragoza is an excellent venue for giving visibility to these providers..”

The IDB sponsorships are part of the Bank’s Water and Sanitation Initiative, which was launched in 2007 with the goal of financing projects in 100 Latin American and Caribbean cities, 3000 rural communities and 20 priority watersheds by 2011.

The IDB will sponsor the following providers at Expo Zaragoza:

June 27, 2008: Carlos Eduardo de Souza Braga, Governor of the Brazilian State of Amazonas, who will describe "Igarapes de Manaus," a water and sanitation project that emphasized social inclusion.  

July 3, 2008: Americo Rocco, Director of the Sanitation Division of the City of Montevideo, Uruguay, will present the city’s urban sanitation plan.

July 8, 2008: José Miguel Zeledon, Director de Hidrologic Resources for Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy, will describe his country’s “National Strategy and Plan for Integrated Water Resource Management.”

July 16, 2008: Marlon Lara, former mayor of Puerto Cortés, Honduras, will present "The political economy of a water and sanitation reform process.”

July 18, 2008: Jorge Enrique Pizano, general manager of the Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado in Bogotá, Colombia, will describe a case of interest group participation in a watershed sanitation project involving the Bogotá River.

August 5, 2008: José Gabriel Roca Chavéz from the COSMOL cooperative in Montero, Bolivia, will present an overview of an innovative water and sanitation reform process.

August 25, 2008: The IDB will co-sponsor a special thematic panel session on water resource clean-up and recovery by inviting representatives of Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Colombia), SABESP (Brazil) and IDAAN (Panama).

Also available in: Español