The Amazon Network of Water Authorities (ANWA) was created during the Amazon Summit in Belém do Pará, Brazil, held on August 8 and 9, 2023. Its creation is part of the Belém Declaration, which outlines a common agenda to promote sustainable development and combat socio-environmental degradation in the Amazon Region.

According to the Belém Declaration, the creation of ANWA is aimed at cooperation and mutual support in the management and monitoring of the Amazon’s water resources, revitalizing, conserving and protecting its water sources. Regional protocols will be established, promoting projects and initiatives to strengthen technical, technological and institutional capacities, innovation and intercultural dialog.

The ANWA seeks to mitigate the risks of water insecurity and the impacts of climate change by establishing integrated monitoring and early warning systems, as well as mobilizing resources for priority programmes.

It also contributes to the harmonization of regulatory frameworks, respecting the sovereignty of countries.

At the 1st ANWA Meeting, held in April 2024 at ACTO headquarters in Brasilia, the water authorities of the eight Amazonian countries made the Network official, committing themselves to the shared management of water resources, guaranteeing the human right to water and the revitalization, conservation and protection of water sources.

“Corresponding to the mandate of our presidents at the Amazon Summit, ANWA represents a further step in the consolidation and ratification of the spirit of cooperation that we formed in 1978 with the Amazon Cooperation Treaty. And it is also a step towards strengthening the integrated, sustainable and harmonious management of the Amazon Basin,” said ANWA’s first president, Marissa Castro, Director General of Limits and International Waters of the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the First ANWA Meeting, the process of reviewing and consolidating the text of the ANWA Regulations was completed, the Specialized Technical Panel was formed and the first guidelines for the work plan were presented, as well as the establishment of a roadmap for the review and adoption of the Monitoring Protocols. On the occasion, the water authorities chose as the network’s logo a symbol with eight interconnected circles that evoke water in constant movement, represent the union of the countries and express the spirit of cooperation and action that animates its mission to revitalize, conserve and protect the Amazon’s water sources and the people’s right to this natural resource. The colors of the circles are bridges that connect the ANWA brand with the flags of the eight Amazonian countries.