Nairobi, 1 Dec 10

Latin American Association of Water and Sanitation Operators launched in Mexico.

The “Buenos Aires Statement” for Latin-American operators united for water and sanitation for all was signed by 20 operators and national associations of operators in May 2008. It shows the common interest and determination of Latin-American operators to conform a broad, inclusive and plural network to discuss and advocate for the concerns that are common in the water and sanitation service provision in the Americas.

This effort continued and led to the 2 nd declaration during LatinoSan 2010 held in May 2010 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2nd declaration is fully in line with the rational of Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) and was endorsed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Dialogue (CAF), the World Bank and UN-HABITAT. New member operators which are willing to belong to the association also joined the declaration.

During the preparation period in 2008 and 2009, the promoting committee of ALOAS, composed by the following operators; Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA:Argentina), Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM:Colombia), Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá E.S.P. (EAAB:Colombia), Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo (SABESP:Brazil), Servicio Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Lima (SEDAPAL:Peru), Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Agua y saneamiento de México AC (ANEAS:Mexico) and the World Bank, invited GWOPA/UN-HABITAT to participate in the foundation meeting of the Latin-American Association and to become a member of the Consultative Board. The Global Water Operator’s Partnership Alliance has officially offered its support to this process, offering to work with them to facilitate Water Operators' Partnerships (WOPs) in the region.