Dear Loudres, Sean and All, 

Here find my key takeaways of SIRWASH Dialogue in Brasilia. I was invited to attend and present at the dialogue representing the Sub-Saharan Africa context. A great opportunity if you ask me to explore the potential for South-to-South engagement and knowledge sharing. 

1. Rural WASH Across Latin America is Diverse 

• In the LA context there is variability in implementation of access to services  for clean water and sanitation among different rural regions in Latin America ( War torn Haiti for example does not compare to economically sound Colombia). This put a dent on the much talked about definition of ''Unification'' of services in the LA region.
• The region has diverse socio-economic conditions affecting WASH implementation and maintenance
• There is a wide range of environmental challenges in the region, from arid regions (huge internal diversity withing Brazil) to flood-prone areas (Haiti)
• In the region, Culture, Race and Economic status largely influences water usage and sanitation practices, as well as access to services .

2. Technology is Adaptable and Progressive

• There are evidently more diverse service options being implemented in LA, opposing a one size fits all approach (which is more typical of the Sub-Saharan context, we need more diversity in rural WASH services in the sub-saharan context than we currently have)
• Implementation of remote monitoring and data collection tools for WASH management is notable but could be better(efforts to collect data are evident and critical for decision making)

3. Governance is Still Critical

• There is need for stronger regulatory frameworks to ensure consistent WASH standards. Standards are also not a one size fits all . Extensively diverse across Latin America. (sharing best practices however is notably critical across the diverse contexts)
• Importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships involving government, NGOs, and private sector (I did not observe a lot of focus and participation of private sector, however Research institutions seemed well represented)
• Challenges in decentralizing WASH governance to empower local authorities ( seems to be an ongoing discussion in Latin America just as much as Sub-Saharan Africa)
• Necessity for transparent funding mechanisms and efficient resource allocation ( seems to be an ongoing discussion in Latin America just as much as Sub-Saharan Africa)

Kind Regards,
Chaiwe

It is really interesting to learn what is happening across Latin America. One point that I noted from Chile was the importance placed on regulation to provide a framework and incentives for action in rural WASH.

This thread is open to share impressions, exchanges and outstanding experiences within the Workshop:

The SIRWASH Program is a collaboration between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (COSUDE). The objective of the program is to improve environments for innovation, exchange of knowledge and regulations and promote the necessary capacity to provide sustainable and quality water, sanitation and hygiene services to rural communities, especially to vulnerable and less favored populations. The program places particular emphasis on Brazil, Bolivia, Haiti, and Peru, while also extending its operations to regional and global levels.

Within the framework of the SIRWASH Brazil Program, established in partnership with the National Health Foundation – Funasa (the beneficiary), the overarching objective is to enhance access to appropriate and sustainable services of water, sanitation, solid waste and drainage for rural populations and traditional communities. Therefore, this initiative serves as a significant catalyst for the implementation of the National Rural Sanitation Program in the country.

The Regional Workshop on public water and rural sanitation policies has been organized, with a specific focus on ensuring affordability within the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This event builds upon the foundation established by the previous SIRWASH workshop held in Peru in 2021, which addressed issues concerning policies and institutional frameworks for rural water and sanitation services.

The objective of these WorkShop is foster a dialogue between countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and other relevant nations within the framework of South-South cooperation to analyze and propose public policies for rural water and sanitation, with the goal of ensure affordability from a human rights perspective on water and sanitation in a manner that is sustainable and tailored to the contexts of rural areas of LAC countries.

Este hilo está abierto para compartir impresiones, intercambios y experiencias destacadas en el marco del Taller:El Programa SIRWASH es una colaboración entre el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) y la Agencia Suiza para el Desarrollo y la Cooperación (COSUDE). El objetivo del programa es mejorar los entornos de innovación, intercambio de conocimientos y normativas y promover la capacidad necesaria para proporcionar servicios sostenibles y de calidad de agua, saneamiento e higiene a las comunidades rurales, especialmente a las poblaciones vulnerables y menos favorecidas. El programa pone especial énfasis en Brasil, Bolivia, Haití y Perú, al tiempo que extiende sus operaciones a niveles regional y global.En el marco del Programa SIRWASH Brasil, establecido en asociación con la Fundación Nacional de Salud – Funasa (el beneficiario), el objetivo general es mejorar el acceso a servicios adecuados y sostenibles de agua, saneamiento, residuos sólidos y drenaje para las poblaciones rurales y las comunidades tradicionales. Por lo tanto, esta iniciativa sirve como un catalizador significativo para la implementación del Programa Nacional de Saneamiento Rural en el país.Se ha organizado el Taller Regional sobre políticas públicas de agua y saneamiento rural, con un enfoque específico en asegurar la asequibilidad en los países de América Latina y el Caribe. Este evento se basa en las bases establecidas por el taller SIRWASH anterior, celebrado en Perú en 2021, que abordó cuestiones relativas a las políticas y los marcos institucionales para los servicios de agua y saneamiento rural.El objetivo de este Taller es fomentar un diálogo entre los países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) y otras naciones relevantes en el marco de la cooperación Sur-Sur para analizar y proponer políticas públicas de agua y saneamiento rural, con el objetivo de asegurar la asequibilidad desde una perspectiva de derechos humanos en materia de agua y saneamiento de una manera sostenible y adaptada a los contextos de las zonas rurales de los países de ALC.