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Dear colleagues, The Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division is organizing the Regional Conference "Building Commitment, Efficiency and Equity for Water Supply and Sanitation Services in Latin America and the Caribbean" which will be held at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile, 15-16 March 2011. Working language will be Spanish (no simultaneous translation will be available). Conference web page (in Spanish): http://www.eclac.cl/drni/ (Conferencia "Construyendo Compromiso, Eficiencia y Equidad para Servicios Sustentables de Agua Potable y Saneamiento en América Latina y el Caribe") Conference programme (in Spanish): http://www.eclac.cl/drni/noticias/noticias/7/42407/programa.pdf This conference is organized within the framework of the "Building Commitment, Efficiency and Equity for Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean" project which is being implemented jointly by ECLAC and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The event is also being kindly supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main objectives of the conference are: i) to discuss and analyze the results of the research and technical assistance activities undertaken under the project; ii) to discuss and improve draft "Public policy guidelines for efficient, equitable and sustainable water supply and sanitation services" which summaries the lessons learned from project activities; and iii) to analyze the current situation of service provision in the region with a view to define priorities for future activities. The conference will be organized in the following sessions: i) lessons learned from the research undertaken under the project (industrial structure for efficient service provision, challenges for efficiency under the public model of service provision, investment treaties and the human right to water, economic regulation and contracts, efficiency and its measurement, public policies for rural population, and control of transfer prices) ii) experiences of the countries with which we have cooperated within the framework of the project (Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru); iii) other relevant national experiences (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, France, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Uruguay) and vision of the private sector; iv) presentation of the draft public policy guidelines; and v) analysis and discussion of this draft in eight working groups (efficiency and the public model of service provision, exogenous factors and macroeconomic policies, industrial structure, institutional structure, economic regulation and contracts,tariffs and subsidies, public policies for rural communities, and implications of globalization). The event will be attended by water supply and sanitation governmental authorities (regulatory agencies, ministries, etc.) of the countries of the region, water utilities, international and regional organizations, bilateral cooperation, civil society, non governmental organizations, universities, and national, regional and international experts. To participate in the conference, it is essential to register (your complete name, name of your institution, position, passport or identification number, and your preferred choice of the working groups) via e-mail to Valerie Cunliffe, [log in to unmask], and Caridad Canales, [log in to unmask] Unfortunately, NO funds are available to provide financial support to participants. Yours sincerely, Andrei S. Jouravlev Economic Affairs Officer Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)