November 11, 2025. GWP and partners have set the stage for the mobilisation of Latin American and Caribbean Heads of State for the USD 20 billion LAC Water Investment Programme, during a session at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) initiative builds on momentum from the October 9 session during the Regional Water Dialogues in Chile, where countries including Grenada, El Salvador, and Brazil engaged in early discussions. At COP30, the spotlight turned to Africa’s achievements through the African Union’s Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), which aims to mobilise an additional USD 30 billion required annually to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6.
The session, titled “Showcase of Highlighted Results and Solutions – Global Transformation Agenda on Water Investments: A 20B LAC Initiative,” was co-convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and the Global Water Partnership (GWP).
The LAC Investment Programme represents a major step in scaling up efforts through the Global Water Investment Platform, led by the Global Outlook Council on Water Investments, a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative launched by H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in August 2025.
“We urgently need to scale up initiatives like the AIP in the vulnerable regions such as Asia and Latin America,” said H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and Chair of the G20.
ECLAC and CAF estimate that annual investments in water and sanitation need to increase by between three and five times to achieve the SDG 6 targets. In this context, LAC-IP aims to mobilise at least USD 20 billion in climate-resilient water investments by 2030.
The session highlighted key elements of the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) that other regions can learn from. The AIP aims to mobilise an additional USD 30 billion annually – the amount required for Africa to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation. Currently, only USD 10 to 19 billion per year is invested in water infrastructure across the continent. To strengthen accountability and attract further financing, the AIP Water Investment Scorecard has been implemented across all 55 African Union Member States and is reported bi-annually to the African Union Summit. In addition, a blended-finance facility is being developed to support 13 countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in preparing bankable, climate-resilient water investments.
Countries in the LAC region are taking note and in addition to the countries that participated in the session in Chile – Grenada, El Salvador and Brazil – representatives from Chile, Uruguay, Barbados, Panama and others participated in the session at COP. Other international organizations are weighing in, such as the World Meteorological Organization and the World Resources Institute.
The official launch of the LAC Investment Programme is scheduled for January 2026 in Panama City during the Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Forum organised by CAF.
Photo – from the left: Jorge Werneck Lima – Member of the GWPO Steering Committee; Franz Rojas – Director of Water and Sanitation, CAF; Paulette Bynoe – Chair of GWP Caribbean; Santiago Lorenzo – Head of the Climate Change Unit, ECLAC Brazil; Fabiola Tábora – Regional Coordinator of GWP Central America; and Eduardo Tavares, Brazil.