Fostering integrated management of water resources in the subregion and promoting more access by the population to water and sanitation services are actions that are provided for in the Andean Environmental Agenda.  It also envisages actions aimed at producing a purposeful and inclusive dialogue about the environmental aspects of investments in water-related services in the subregion and at formulating a Strategy that considers guidelines and policies on integrated management of water resources and water and sanitation.  

International Advances

 Within the framework of international and regional agreements and initiatives, the governments of the Andean countries have made an explicit commitment to fight the poverty, inequality and social exclusion characteristic of their countries and to promote sustainable development. 

That is how, in September 2000, together with another 142 heads of government, they adhered to the Millennium Declaration and committed to accomplish the Millennium Development Targets, MDTs, as a means to overcome poverty, resolve the problems affecting human development and extend the benefits of globalization to all of the world’s poor. 

Likewise, in September 2002, they backed the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and, a year later, adopted the Andean Plan to Follow-up on the Johannesburg Summit, 2003 - 2005, which is updated through the Andean Environmental Agenda 2006 - 2010 with objectives that seek to harmonize economic growth, social justice and environmental protection. 

Regional advances

In the regional context, and recognizing that  “…the majority of the population of the Andean countries suffers poverty, inequality and social exclusion..,” the Special Meeting of the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers held on September 21, 2004, approved the Integral Plan for Social Development (PIDS), understood as a Community social strategy for undertaking subregional actions that will enrich and complement national efforts to overcome poverty and social inequality.   

Among the international and regional commitments of the Andean countries for reducing poverty, inequality and social exclusion mentioned above, there are concrete goals and proposals for action having to do with water:  either as improved access to drinking water and sanitation, or as a proposal for the sustainable and integrated management of water resources.  Nonetheless, it is evident that, in the light of global and regional experience, both interventions (both access to drinking water and sanitation, and the sustainable management of water resources) have a huge effect on poverty reduction and the search for equity and produce a significant impact on the accomplishment of these goals and social and welfare indicators. 

The effect of access to drinking water and sanitation and the sustainable management of water resources in the accomplishment of the MDTs is analyzed below.  This analysis is necessarily applicable to other countries and proposals for Community action (Follow-up on the Johannesburg Summit / Andean Environmental Agenda   2006 - 2010 and PIDS) in the degree to which the final purpose of both these and those is the eradication of poverty, hunger and social differences.