In an environment of cooperation and commitment among Amazonian countries, the 4th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Amazon Basin Project was held. This initiative implements the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Amazon region. 

The meeting brought together water authorities from the eight Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and was attended by the institution’s Administrative Director, Edith Paredes, and Isabelle Vanderbeck, Task Manager at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Project’s implementing agency. The meeting marked a decisive step toward strengthening regional cooperation for the governance of Amazonian waters.

Strategic deliberations and renewed commitments

During the meeting, the Work Plan and Budget for 2025 were approved, as well as the 2024 Annual Report, reaffirming the role of the Steering Committee (SCP) as the central body for governance, oversight, and guidance of the Project. New strategic guidelines were also established, focusing on technical, political, and regulatory cooperation among countries.

Opening with a focus on diversity and continuity

At the opening session, the Director Edith Paredes (ACTO) highlighted the value of the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds represented on the committee as a driving force for collective construction. She reaffirmed the commitment of ACTO’s Permanent Secretariat to the Project and its multiple dimensions — technical, political, and financial — and emphasized the need to keep moving forward and achieving tangible results. “Many pages of the notebook are already written, but there are still blank pages we must continue to fill,” she said.

Technical and institutional progress of the SAP

 

María Apostolova, Coordinator of the Amazon Basin Project, presented the main achievements of 2024, including:

• The establishment of the Amazonian Network of Water Authorities (RADA) as a Permanent Coordination Mechanism for Regional IWRM.
• The consolidation of regional monitoring protocols for Amazonian networks on water quantity and quality.
• The participatory development of the IWRM Toolbox and Principles for the Amazon.
• The strengthening of Member Countries’ capacities through the training of more than 600 professionals in water resource management.
• Increased climate resilience, with 2 interventions completed, 14 underway, and 3 in preparation, across the eight Amazonian countries.
• The conceptual consolidation of the future Regional Integrated Information Platform on IWRM.

Recommendations from the Steering Committee

The SCP recommended that the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) incorporate the IWRM Principles agreed upon during the April Regional Workshop into the Project’s outputs. The Committee also praised the training sessions on the IWRM Toolbox and the Source-to-Sea approach, emphasizing the importance of systemic approaches for the update of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and the SAP.

The Committee approved the creation of a specific Toolbox for the Amazon Basin, which will soon be made available on the Project’s website, as a concrete contribution to strengthening IWRM in the region.

Monitoring extreme events and the strategic role of information

The SCP called for the prioritization of the development of the Monitoring Programme for Hydrological Extreme Events (HEEP),given the frequency and impact of droughts in the region. It also reiterated that environmental monitoring is strategic for the Project, as it provides essential inputs for planning, decision-making and water management at local, national and transboundary scales.

Commitment reaffirmed in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

At the close of the meeting, held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia — as part of the country’s Bicentennial celebrations — the deliberations reflected the progress made and the continued commitment of Amazonian countries to strengthen regional cooperation and integrated water resources management in the Amazon Basin.