Partnerships

As part of the work on Partnerships launched by the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in 2024, it is worth highlighting the work to coordinate and facilitate spaces for dialogue and organisation of actors, laying the foundations for the future implementation of the Spanish Platform for Cooperation in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PECASH).

In November 2024, after several months of preparation, a preliminary meeting was held at AECID offices with different Spanish stakeholders working in international development cooperation in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, in order to gather input for the configuration of the future platform. As a result, the foundations for its creation were laid and the driving group was formed to continue with the work carried out with the aim of presenting the platform in the first months of 2025.

From the inception of the Fund, a strategic partnership was subscribed with the IDB, a leading multilateral entity in water and sanitation investments in Latin America, for the management of the multilateral part of the FCAS portfolio.

Under this model of inter-institutional cooperation, the Government of Spain and the IDB founded the FECASALC trust fund, with the aim of contributing to the development of public policies in the countries, sharing tools and methodologies and coordinating their interventions, always focusing on the most vulnerable segments of the population, where access levels are lowest.

The FCAS and the IDB share commitments, goals and financial and technical capacities to address water security challenges in the region.

In 2024, the three investment programmes that were still active (Guatemala, Paraguay and Costa Rica) came to an end and an operation was launched in Venezuela to provide water and sanitation services to hospitals. In the field of complementary Technical Cooperation, five actions were completed this year, providing important inputs for the countries’ sector. Three further TC initiatives also started implementation. Overall in 2024, the following has been achieved

Since 2012, CEDEX has been collaborating with the FCAS to address certain technical aspects of the programmes, such as the development of training activities, preparation of guides and recommendations on different subjects, hydrological planning, water and sanitation sectoral planning and construction projects for water supply, sanitation and wastewater treatment facilities, among others.

Specifically, in 2024, CEDEX has worked in Panama, supporting the preparation of a Guide on Water Treatment, and in the Dominican Republic, supporting the definition of a water quality control network.

In addition, a guide for the selection of sites for wastewater treatment plants has also been drafted. It was published in June 2024, and work is underway on a guide of recommendations on sectoral planning for sanitation and wastewater treatment. At the same time, they are developing design tools for different treatment technologies for free dissemination.

Throughout the year, CEDEX has also participated in the organisation of a course on sectoral planning of sanitation and treatment, being responsible for an important part of the classes, and has collaborated in the organisation of a workshop on water reuse, taking part in the lectures. Finally, support has been provided to the different working groups of the international discussion platform on sectoral regulation and assistance was provided in setting up a new group on liquid discharge fees.

In 2014, the Water Fund began to work with the public engineering company Tragsatec, which provides important support for the monitoring, management and coordination of the programmes, given the high degree of specialisation of its employees in programmes that require specific technical qualifications.

Tragsatec’s work can be seen through its intervention in the monitoring of projects, the improvement of processes and procedures, technical advice on infrastructure projects or its support, as technical assistance, in the development and implementation of sectoral policies and regulatory frameworks.

Tragsatec’s work also includes support in the elaboration and control of indicators, a key element to be aware of the progress of the programmes and their real impact on the population, as well as support in communication tasks, reporting to the Fund, institutional strengthening or knowledge management.

Empresa Municipal de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento de Aguas de Sevilla S.A. (EMASESA) collaborates with AECID within the framework of its international development cooperation strategy based on the exchange of practices. In November 2020, it signed a General Action Protocol, which has been extended until November, and which provides a stable collaboration framework that has enabled both institutions to successfully develop a number of joint initiatives, based on their models and expertise. Under this umbrella, actions have been implemented to achieve SDG 6, which focuses on universal access to water and sanitation.

Collaboration has given rise to technical training and cooperation programmes that have strengthened operators and entities in the sector that benefit from AECID and FCAS programmes, contributing to improving the sustainability of interventions. Likewise, the partnerships, accumulated experience and territorial presence of the FCAS represent a valuable opportunity for EMASESA to continue learning and developing its international cooperation policy from a technical and committed perspective.

Since 2021, the «Agreement for the management, technical support and training in the field of sustainable sanitation and drainage planning» is being implemented in Bolivia, with European financing from the ongoing LAIF programme in Bolivia “Support to the Urban and Peri-Urban Water and Sewerage Programme, APAAP”.

Through this agreement, the University is providing technical support and supervision to the development of Cobija, Trinidad, Oruro and Sucre. It is also supporting the development of a «Guide to Urban Drainage Master Plans», a «Manual on Stormwater Management Techniques» and capacity building through courses and presentations on urban drainage.

In parallel, technical assistance is provided to the Bolivian Ministry of Environment and Water in the development of public policies relating to water and to the construction of sustainable drainage techniques in the cities of Sucre, Oruro and Trinidad.

The Water Fund works together with civil society, through Non-Governmental Organisations such as ONGAWA or Action Against Hunger, which are also part of the Advisory Board of the FCAS.

In 2024, the Water Fund has continued to work with ONGAWA to disseminate the Tool for the incorporation of the human rights to water and sanitation in municipal management, developed together with the public company Tragsatec.

The tool, which aims to make it easier for municipalities to understand their water and sanitation obligations and to guide a self-diagnosis process that shows the status of their compliance, was presented in August at the International Water Week organised by SIWI in Stockholm.

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The FCAS collaborates with various Ibero-American water institutions and especially with the three main networks with regional impact: the Conference of Ibero-American Water Directors and Authorities (CODIA), the Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC) and the Conference of Ibero-American Meteorological and Hydrological Services (CIMHET), with which the Central American Lightning Detection Network is operated, with the advice of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).

A close relationship is maintained with CODIA through regular meetings. In addition, the FCAS collaborates in the network’s training plan and, in November 2024, participated in the annual meeting of the network, held in Costa Rica. The joint work is organised around two main lines of work: the Hydrological Planning and the Sanitation and Treatment Roadmap.

As in previous years, the Water Fund participated in the 2024 CODIA, held in Costa Rica on 6-8 November. It gave a presentation on «Guidelines for IWRM in Ibero-America: Planning Guide«, which addressed the progress made this year in the Guide for hydrological planning with an IWRM approach and took this opportunity to launch the task forces that will allow the direct participation of countries in certain topics covered in the guide considered of particular importance for the development of hydrological planning, such as: climate change, public participation, financing, etc. This exchange of experiences and knowledge will take place through regular meetings and specific forums for the participation of the countries in the first half of 2025.

The Official Credit Institute (ICO), as financial agent of the FCAS, is the body responsible for subscribing, in the name and on behalf of the Spanish Government, the financing agreements that the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation establishes with the beneficiary entities of the Fund. It also provides financial services related to the operations authorised to be financed by the Fund and is compensated from the FCAS for the expenses incurred in the performance of these functions. Each year, the ICO prepares an activity report on the work of the FCAS.