A historic turn of events in regional water cooperation was witnessed in 2023, 45 years after the signing of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty. At the Amazon Presidential Summit in Belém, Brazil, heads of state and authorities from the eight signatory countries—Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela—expanded the terms of cooperation initiated in 1978 and developed a new common agenda on issues related to the region's sustainable development and climate change. Recognizing the urgent need for integrated and cooperative water management, they created the Amazon Network of Water Authorities (RADA, by its Spanish acronym), marking a new era in the governance of shared waters.

The new regional cooperation agenda outlined by the Amazon countries in the Belém Declaration includes the creation of RADA as one of 113 commitments and priorities for the protection and sustainable development of the Amazon and its peoples, calling for urgent action to avoid reaching the point of no return in the Amazon. Incorporating a transformative approach to safeguarding Amazonian waters and ensuring the human right to water, the Amazon Network of Water Authorities aims to promote cooperation and mutual support in the permanent coordination of necessary actions to improve the management and monitoring of Amazonian waters, seeking to mitigate risks related to water insecurity and the impacts of climate change.

RADA is born 

The formation of RADA results from continuous efforts led by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) under the Amazon Basin Project – SAP Implementation (ACTO/UNEP/GEF). During the Amazon Dialogues with civil society, a preparatory event for the Summit, ACTO gathered National Water Authorities from the eight riparian countries to develop the proposal for the Network, which was then presented to the Presidents. This initiative marks a milestone in the implementation of the Strategic Action Program (SAP) for Integrated Water Resources Management of the Amazon Basin by establishing a permanent coordination mechanism for water management in the Amazon.

Seated among the high-level authorities at the Summit, 13-year-old João Victor da Costa from the Brazilian Amazon witnessed the commitment firsthand. Invited by the Amazon Project as a representative of the Sustainable Development Forum of the Islands of Belém, he emphasized the profound cultural and existential connection between Amazonian waters and local communities. "For us, protecting these waters means securing our future and resisting environmental degradation," he affirmed.

In April 2024, during RADA's official installation, water authorities echoed the words of the young observer. In her inaugural speech, María Luisa Riofrio, Vice-Minister of Water of Ecuador in the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition, highlighted that RADA’s mission is to secure a sustainable and equitable future for all Amazonian families who depend on these water resources. Miguel Angel Perozo, Venezuela's Vice-Minister of Watersheds in the Ministry of People's Power for Ecosocialism, stressed the need to ensure water security, public health, and sustainable economic development.

RADA advancing the regional water agenda 

To operationalize its ambitious agenda, RADA recently adopted Regulations and a Work Plan (2024-2026), aligned with the Belém Declaration and SAP objectives. On this occasion, the network’s president, Ximena Campos Fernández, Director General of Hydrographic Basins and Water Resources at Bolivia’s Ministry of the Environment, reaffirmed RADA’s commitment to collaborative action in managing the 6-million-square-kilometer Amazon Basin.

RADA’s initiatives prioritize strengthening institutional, technical, and operational capacities. Key strategies include professional training, technological innovation, knowledge exchange, and cooperation between governments, communities, and scientific institutions.

To ensure proper water monitoring, information exchange, and data availability, the network promotes the harmonization of national water management structures. Efforts are underway to strengthen and ensure the sustainability of the integrated information and monitoring system of the Amazon Hydrological and Water Quality Networks, operating within ACTO’s Amazon Regional Observatory. Regional Monitoring Protocols are also on the RADA priority agenda, as its Specialized Technical Support Panel is reviewing for approval four regional protocols covering monitoring station installation, field and sample analysis, data availability, and responsibilities for data operation and publication.

Beyond technical advancements, RADA faces the challenge of ensuring access to drinking water and sanitation, particularly for vulnerable populations such as indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and urban peripheries, while promoting intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. As young activist João Victor stated, "The participation of Amazonian youth is crucial in protecting our rivers and water sources. We are the generation that will face the consequences of today’s decisions." 

With RADA, the Amazon region enters a decisive phase in water governance. By embracing coordinated action and solidarity, Amazonian countries reaffirm their shared responsibility for one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems. RADA’s establishment is not merely a continuation of past cooperation—it marks the dawn of a new era in the governance of Amazonian waters.

About the project

Since 2021, the Amazon Basin SAP Implementation Project has been supporting the eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in implementing the Strategic Action Program (SAP) and promoting Integrated Water Resources Management in the Amazon Basin in a source-to-sea continuum. Based on the SAP strategic response lines, the project aims at institutionally strengthening water governance in the eight Amazonian countries and at the regional level, building community resilience and protecting aquatic ecosystems to address climate change, as well as monitoring water resources and ecosystems through a Regional Environmental Monitoring System. 

Implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project is executed by ACTO.  

For more information on the Amazon Basin SAP Implementation Project, please contact the Project Manager, Maria Apostolova (maria.apostolova@otca.org) or the Project Communication Specialist Nina Rodrigues (nina.rodrigues@otca.org). 

Words by Nina Rodrigues. Cover photo: River dwellers cross the Black River in the Brazilian Amazon.