The integrated management of Amazonian water resources, promoted by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) through the Amazon Basin – SAP Implementation Project (ACTO/UNEP/GEF), was the central theme of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF), held May 20-24 in Bali, Indonesia, under the theme Water for Peace and Prosperity. ACTO Administrative Director, Edith Paredes, participated in official and parallel events, presenting the strategic management actions for the Amazon Basin that are being implemented in the eight countries of the region.

In two High-Level Sessions organized by the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO-RIOB), Edith Paredes focused on the topic of democratic and participatory water governance and the “from source to sea” approach adopted in the actions of the PAE – Program of Strategic Actions for the Integrated Management of the Amazon Basin.

Director Edith Paredes during her presentation at the RIOB High-Level Session

In the first High-Level Session, highlighting regional cooperation, the director underlined the importance of the Amazon Network of Water Authorities (RADA), created in 2023 under the Amazon Basin Project, by decision of the presidents and authorities present at the Amazon Summit, and ratified in the Belém Declaration. “RADA has the important mission of strengthening cooperation and mutual support in the management of water resources in the Amazon Region, guaranteeing the population’s right to drinking water and the revitalization, conservation and protection of water sources,” he stressed.

On the subject of water governance, addressed at the second High-Level Session, the director explained that “the model being implemented by ACTO and its Member Countries is innovative in nature and is aimed at institutional strengthening at the national and regional levels to establish efficient and effective water governance, from the community to the government, leading to better basin management, an improvement in the state of ecosystems and people’s livelihoods”.

The vision and strategy established by ACTO for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Amazon, with emphasis on regional hydrological monitoring through the Amazon Networks module of the Amazon Regional Observatory (ORA), were the topics of the presentation by director Edith Paredes at the event on the relevance of data exchange in water governance, organized by IOWATER on Tuesday 21. This monitoring system provides essential data on rainfall, river levels and flows and the quality of Amazonian waters, detecting the occurrence of critical hydrological events such as floods and droughts and facilitating the implementation of adaptation measures.

Soon, Paredes announced, the Amazon Basin Project will integrate the ORA monitoring networks with the Integrated Regional Information Platform on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Amazon Basin, a fundamental initiative for decision making by the countries to avoid the consequences of extreme climate events in the region, as well as the spread of diseases and pollution of the river environment.

In the session organized by Unesco on the theme Cooperation and Peace for Water in South America, Director Edith Paredes stated that “sustainable, participatory and equitable water management, involving all levels of society and government, sectors and countries, is a catalyst for peace, justice and prosperity”.