March 25, 2022 For more than 60 years, the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States has promoted an agenda that focuses on water as an element of development, cooperation, stability, and peace. More than 160 projects and close to US$1 billion mobilized throughout the Americas have been promoted for these purposes. These efforts have contributed to the generation of knowledge on surface and groundwater resources (invisible water) in the hemisphere. They have also facilitated the emergence and consolidation of forums for dialogue in which the member states of the Organization decide how to manage their shared water resources in pursuit of sustainable development, human rights, and the well-being of the women and men of the Americas.
The OAS developed the first identification, mapping, characterization and management of 73 transboundary aquifer systems in the Americas. Through the efforts of the Organization and its partners, the region has a preliminary assessment of the hemisphere’s transboundary aquifers, as well as an integrated knowledge of the legal and institutional framework for their management, and their socioeconomic, environmental and climatic reality. This has made it possible to have a regional strategy for evaluating and managing transboundary aquifers in our hemisphere.
The Organization’s work has made invisible waters visible and promoted their immeasurable value within the regional agenda, due to their capacity to promote economic development, water security, food security and resilience to climate change. It has also advocated for knowledge and information to be disseminated and used in decision making and project formulation. Despite the Organization’s contributions, making groundwater visible and strengthening political and technical agendas around it is a long-term task. We still lack precise knowledge about their status in terms of quality and quantity, due to the challenges faced by geological sciences and technology, a challenge that makes it difficult to promote new and better strategies for their management.
Our commitments will continue to focus on promoting best practices in transboundary aquifer management, reporting on advances in science and technology, and continuing to support member states’ efforts to understand, manage, appreciate and highlight the value of the invisible waters of the Americas
- Tuesday, November 5, 2024