This is a prime example of how global and regional collaboration – the 2009 meeting was organised by the South America Regional Water Partnership and supported by the GWP Global Secretariat and the European Union Water Initiative (EUWI) – can advance national processes. The workshop in Argentina, the First National Workshop on the Economic Value of Water, was organised by the Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development, Tierra del Fuego Province, under the auspices of COHIFE, the umbrella organisation for the 23 provincial governments.
GWP Argentina developed the agenda, drafted a financing framework, set out the issues for discussion groups, and brought in technical expertise from the Universidad Externado de Colombia, a GWP Partner. GWP Argentina provided participants with the GWP-Cap- Net training manual Economics in Sustainable Water Management – a key resource for informing discussions– and made presentations. The workshop led provincial water directors to agree to promote the development of a legal framework that reflects the economic value of water, sets out financing mechanisms and embraces IWRM principles. Several directors went away with the intention of organizing inter-provincial meetings in 2011 to exchange experiences on water charges and legislation.