Coordination between IAS and partners ensures the participation of the Brazilian government in the United Nations Water Conference.

More than 130 civil society organizations started a movement to call for the sending of a qualified delegation representing the Brazilian government to the UN Water Conference, organized by the IAS and 13 other partner institutions.

On Wednesday (15th), the Brazilian government confirmed that it will send a delegation to the United Nations (UN) Water Conference. The decision was made after broad mobilization by civil society organizations calling for the participation of a qualified Brazilian delegation in this event, which will take place from March 22 to 24 at the UN headquarters in New York, bringing together thousands of leaders from all over the world to debate voluntary commitments around the sustainable use of water and their impacts.

Representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, the National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA), the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor (MPF), and from the governments of the states of São Paulo, Amazonas and Rio de Janeiro have confirmed their attendance of the event. The official list of members of the Brazilian Delegation must be released soon as the deadline for registration was March 15 

Fourteen organizations that will attend the Conference, including the Water and Sanitation Institute (IAS), started the campaign, which was then joined by another 122 organizations. These organizations signed an Open Letter for Participation of the Brazilian Government in the UN Water Conference 2023, which was addressed to the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty). 

Clique aqui, acesse a carta e a lista completa de organizações apoiadoras. 

The following organizations were the first signatories to the letter

1. Articulação Semiárido Brasileiro (ASA); 2. Associação Data Labe; 3. Associação de Jovens Engajamundo; 4. Centro de Desenvolvimento Agroecológico Sabiá; 5. Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica; 6. Fundación Avina; 7. Instituto Água e Saneamento (IAS); 8. Instituto Democracia e Sustentabilidade (IDS); 9. Instituto Iguá de Sustentabilidade; 10. Observatório de Governança das Águas (OGA); 11. Observatório Nacional dos Direitos à Água e ao Saneamento (ONDAS); 12. ONG Nosso Vale Nossa Vida; 13. Organização Mandí; 14. Projeto Saúde & Alegria (PSA).

Meeting between the civil society and the governmen

In response to the Open Letter, the MMA called a meeting with civil society, which was held on Tuesday (March 14). The government was represented by the Executive Secretary of the MMA, João Paulo Capobianco, the Director of the Executive Secretariat of the MMA, Guilherme Checco, and the head of the Division of Environmental Policies and Sustainability at Itamaraty, Vitor Diniz. More than 45 people from numerous organizations, including the 14 organizations which started the movement, were present

During the meeting, the Executive Director of the IAS, Marussia Whately, highlighted the important role of the Brazilian Government, as a Member Country of the UN, to define voluntary commitments, among which is universal access to water and sanitation by 2033, including historically marginalized populations. 

The IAS is attending the Conference. To learn more, check out our website and social media