FAO convened a regional discussion on water governance through tenure during ECLAC's Latin American and Caribbean Regional Water Week

According to World Bank data, more than 733 million people worldwide currently live in areas of high water stress, a situation not distant from Latin America and the Caribbean: countries such as Uruguay and Mexico are facing unprecedented droughts; similarly, Chile and Colombia are experiencing serious water storage problems in their main reservoirs.

That is why, within the framework of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)'s “Latin American and Caribbean Regional Water Week”, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) led a regional panel entitled Strengthening water governance through tenure: experiences and challenges in LAC.

Held on 10 October 2025, this meeting is part of the Regional dialogue on water tenure organized in the framework of the ScaleWat project, which seeks to highlight the priorities and challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean in the future Global Dialogue to be held in Rome, the results of which will be presented during the next United Nations Water Conference in the United Arab Emirates in December 2026.

The session brought together representatives from governments and civil society in the region. Its objective was to collectively reflect on the formal and informal frameworks that govern water resource allocation as well as to identify approaches and principles that will enable progress toward responsible water governance in the region.

Latin America is promoting a wide-ranging dialogue. The process has included national assessments and dialogues, such as those taking place in Colombia, as well as a specific regional dialogue for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025.

It is hoped that the principles on responsible governance for water tenure as the main outcome of the Global Dialogue can be elevated to the FAO's World Food Committee in its next work plan for 2028-2032.