The Amazon Network of Water Authorities (ANWA) has approved its 2026–2028 Work Plan, which sets out the priorities and actions that will guide cooperation among the eight Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) over the next two years.

Under Brazil’s Presidency, held by the National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA), the new cycle seeks to consolidate the progress achieved since the creation of ANWA and expand the implementation of the cooperation instruments and mechanisms developed during the Network’s first years of operation.

The Plan is organized around five strategic actions: continued implementation of the Amazon IWRM Capacity-Building Plan; gradual development of a regional agreement for the exchange of hydrometeorological data; support for updating the Strategic Action Program (SAP); development of national and regional project pipelines for water security and climate resilience; and completion, validation, and publication of the ANWA White Paper.

On the occasion of the transfer of the ANWA Presidency to Brazil in May, Larissa Rêgo, Director at ANA, upon assuming the Presidency of the Network on behalf of Brazil, outlined the direction that would guide the new cycle:

“ANWA is now entering a new phase, focused on consolidating the regional instruments already developed and strengthening cooperation among Amazonian countries to address shared challenges related to water, climate, and regional monitoring.”

From building instruments to implementation

Created in the context of the Amazon Summit, held in Belém in 2023, ANWA is a permanent forum for technical coordination and institutional cooperation among the national authorities responsible for water resources management in ACTO Member Countries.

During its first cycle, from 2024 to 2026, the Network made progress in building the institutional and technical foundations for regional cooperation. Key achievements include the approval of its Rules of Procedure, the establishment of the Specialized Technical Support Panel (STSP), the development of the Amazon IWRM Capacity-Building Plan, and the approval of the Regional Protocols for the Amazon Hydrological Network and the Water Quality Network.

Building on these advances, the 2026–2028 Plan will focus efforts on concrete results, strengthening countries’ capacities, generating and using quality information, and structuring initiatives aimed at water security and climate resilience.

Capacity building to strengthen regional capacities

One of the five areas of action will be to continue implementing the Amazon IWRM Capacity-Building Plan, strengthening training and technical exchange among Member Countries.

Courses and workshops are planned on integrated water resources management, monitoring, data management, extreme events, water security, groundwater, hydro-diplomacy, and financing. These capacity-building activities will also support the implementation of the SAP and the regional monitoring protocols, data exchange, and the strengthening of capacities to address critical events and the impacts of climate change.

Advancing regional data exchange

Another strategic area is the gradual development and implementation of a regional agreement for the exchange of hydrometeorological data.

The regional monitoring protocols have already established guidelines on the processing, availability, publication, security, access, and management of information. The new Plan aims to advance the development of an institutional framework agreed upon by the countries, establishing rules, responsibilities, safeguards, access levels, and procedures for data exchange.

The process will respect national sovereignty and legislation, creating conditions for the gradual and secure exchange of information of regional interest. Planned actions include the preparation and discussion of a technical proposal for the agreement, a pilot initiative involving a set of priority data, and further development of the Integrated Platform for IWRM.

The Plan incorporates into this agenda the Regional Monitoring Group, established under the Amazon Basin Project – SAP Implementation, strengthening coordination among national monitoring capacities, regional networks, and ACTO’s information instruments.

Updating the SAP and priorities for water management

ANWA will also support ACTO in updating the Strategic Action Program (SAP), the regional instrument that guides coordinated actions to address the main challenges related to integrated water resources management in the Amazon Basin.

The Network’s contribution will focus on issues directly related to its mandate, incorporating into the SAP update the progress and priorities developed by ANWA in areas such as water management, monitoring, data exchange, water security, and climate resilience.

Projects to mobilize new resources

Another area of the Plan is the development of national and regional project pipelines for water security and climate resilience. The aim is to identify and structure priority initiatives from Member Countries, transforming them into proposals with the potential to mobilize national, regional, and international funding.

Countries will be able to submit priority projects, including initiatives of shared or transboundary interest, in areas such as IWRM, monitoring, extreme-event management, protection of water sources, groundwater, institutional strengthening, and nature-based solutions.

The Plan also provides for the definition of criteria to prioritize these proposals and the mapping of climate funds, international cooperation organizations, multilateral banks, and other potential partners. In 2028, a technical roundtable with financing institutions is planned to present the preliminary project portfolio and discuss pathways for project preparation.

White Paper to guide regional cooperation

The fifth area of action will be the completion of the Water White Paper, whose preliminary version was broadly endorsed by the water authorities in May 2026.

The document will reflect the progress made during ANWA’s first cycle, the challenges identified by Member Countries, the results of the regional protocols, and the prospects for SAP implementation. It will also present guidelines for strengthening regional cooperation in the management of Amazonian water resources. The Plan provides for its technical review and consolidation, followed by validation by ANWA, editing, translation, and publication.

A Plan built by the Member Countries

The Work Plan proposal was prepared by the ANWA Presidency and submitted to a process of technical review and development with the Member Countries. On June 16, the Specialized Technical Support Panel (STSP) met to consolidate the document and, upon completing its review, recommended its approval by ANWA. The Plan was approved on June 26 during the 5th Extraordinary Meeting of ANWA.

The process also included an assessment of the incorporation of the Regional Monitoring Group and the Integrated Platform for IWRM into the Plan.

Implementation will be carried out in a coordinated manner by the ANWA Presidency, the ACTO Permanent Secretariat, the STSP, and the Member Countries throughout the 2026–2028 period.