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Updated information on the 10th Global Environment Facility International Waters Conference

GEF-UNDP/UNEP-IOC IW:LEARN

By IW:LEARN

February 3^rd, 2021

5 January 2021, Paris, France. In a recent consultation, the Government of Uruguay and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have reaffirmed that the 10th Biennial GEF International Waters Conference (IWC10) will take place in Uruguay. Pending the amelioration of the COVID19 pandemic and its travel restrictions, the IWC10 is anticipated to take place in the fourth quarter of 2021.

During a meeting between the Ministry of Environment and Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, the Permanent Delegation of Uruguay to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), GEF, United Nations Development Programme and the IWC10 Preparation Team in the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the support of the host country was re-confirmed with great enthusiasm. Discussions centered on ensuring that this signature learning event would have a high turn-out of GEF IW projects and that the health of participants is at the forefront during its preparation.

Participants of the 9th GEF Biennial International Waters Conference, 2018, Marrakech

The conference will be held for the second time in Latin America, with IWC10 taking place in Uruguay under the auspices of the Government of Uruguay’s Ministry of Environment. The GEF has been present in Uruguay since its first funding cycle, and there are a number of GEF project experiences there for the GEF IW portfolio to learn from, including from projects dedicated to sustainably managing transboundary water resources, such as the La Plata Basin, the La Plata River and its Maritime Front, the Guarani Aquifer System and Laguna Merin.

IWC10 is thus organized under the theme Leveraging Our Experience, where participants will explore and deliberate on ways to effectively do this across three pillars: (1) Leveraging Our Results; (2) Leveraging Our Innovations; and (3) Leveraging Our Community.

Further announcements and updated details will be circulated to the International Waters community as they are confirmed. Information will also be available here: https://www.iwlearn.net/events/conferences/iwc2020.