The third meeting of the International Alliance for Water Justice took place in Cusco (Peru), Nov 3-5, 2011. This Alliance is coordinated by Wageningen University and this year the meeting focused around strategies to influence water policy making across scales. Twenty five researchers from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, The United Kingdom and the United States presented and discussed several case studies that highlight the various spheres where conflicts over water resources are stimulating social resistance including land ownership and irrigation rights, hydroelectric projects, expansion of crops for exports, the impact of industrial water treatment plants on marginalized communities,  the expansion of crops for bio-fuels, mining projects and inter-basin water transfers. EDGES’s member Cecilia presented the approach and research progress on her project related to equity and efficiency across five Andean countries. The interaction with researchers from the region provided a basis for comparing legislative frameworks and current situation on these two principles.

Andean Water Forum in Lima
The Water Justice meeting was followed by the Andean Water Forum that took place in Lima on Nov 8 – 9. The forum connects activities and processes taking place in the Andean region around the management of water resources with the goal of sharing knowledge and expanding cooperation particularly in relation to the development of policies and normative proposals. The Forum this year congregated around 200 professionals with the purpose of contributing to the development of the water sector in the region with social equity, environmental sustainability and economic viability. Representing EDGES, Cecilia participated in one of the six discussion groups related to the economic sustainability of water services and ecosystems. The results of the forum include a work plan for the development of proposals for normative, institutional and policy frameworks in relation to water management for the particular conditions of the Andean region; strengthening of institutional and professional cooperation alliances between the participating countries; and consolidating partnerships between agencies and institutions committed to water management innovation in the Andean region.

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