Lima 2013 Blog: Panel – Public and Private Sector Investment in Water Management and Sanitation
Panelists discussed how public and private sector investments can help reduce water shortages.
Speakers:
- José Carrera, Corporate Vice President of Social Development, CAF
- Luis Montoya, President, Latin America Beverages, PepsiCo
- Lucia Ruiz, Chief of staff of the ministry of Strategic Development of Natural Resources
- Julia Torreblanca, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SAA
- Anders Berntell, Executive Director of the 2030 Water Resources Group (moderator)
Which policies improve access to water? How can the private sector partner with the government and also benefit from improved water infrastructure? A panel at AS/COA's 2013 Lima conference debated these questions, discussing examples of public and private sector efforts in Peru.
CAF's Corporate Vice President of Social Development José Carrera explained that around 25 percent of Latin America's population do not have access to clean water, but that solving the problem is doable.
Lucia Ruiz, from Peru's Ministry of Strategic Development of Natural Resources, talked about putting government policy into practice, given the approval of new environmental and sanitation laws. She also noted the challenges Peru faces in bridging that gap between supply and demand. "We are talking about a country where 40 percent of the population live in an area with only 3 percent of the water," she said.
Executive Director of the 2030 Water Resources Group Anders Berntell discussed how partnerships between the public and private sectors can be beneficial for development. The panel talked about PepsiCo's decision to bring educational programs from other countries to Peru, teaching younger generations about sustainability.
Watch the remarks (en español):