Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and Virtual Educa Caribe (VEC), in coordination with the International Water and Environment Center (CIAMA) and the Government of Aragón’s Environment Office, will present the “Latin American Forum on Water and Environment,” Thursday, July 17, 2008.

The event will form part of the Zaragoza 2008 Water Expo. The forum will bring together experts to analyze the present state of water and the environment in Latin America; examine new developments within the fields of education, training and technological innovation; and devise a plan for the establishment an institute that will address the main challenges facing water resource protection and enhancement throughout Latin America.

The forum will bring together experts to analyze the present state of water and the environment in Latin America; examine new developments within the fields of education...

During this one-of-a-kind gathering, international leaders will work together to fulfill the following objectives: categorize existing initiatives related to water networks; assess information tools available to facilitate thematic networks; establish cooperative relationships among educational institutions and the public and private sectors; define the basic characteristics of the working group designated to develop the Institute for Water and Environment.

The forum will feature the participation of the following experts: Iván Madariaga Sierra, Executive Secretary of Consejo Regional de los Ríos (Chile); Victor Cruz Cardona, General Director, Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Posgrado (Colombia); Eduardo Camacho, Director of the Institute of Geosciences, Universidad de Panamá; Manuel Perló, Director of the Center for Urban Studies, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (México); Diego Díaz Martín, Head of the Environmental Studies Department, Universidad Metropolitana (Venezuela); José Armando Tavárez, Rector, Instituto Tecnológico de las Americas (Dominican Republic); Asunción Sanz, Director of Projects, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Washington, DC); Enrique Sáez Olivito, Center for Sustainable Development Studies, Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain); Juan Manuel Cachaza Silveiro, Director of the Center for Research and Technological Development on Water, Universidad de Salamanca (Spain); Ernesto Hontoria García, Director, Escuela de Caminos, Universidad de Granada (Spain).

GFDD, FUNGLODE, VEC and their partners propose that by expanding thematic networks aimed at mobilizing information, technical assistance and multilateral funds, governments, organizations and communities across the Region will be better equipped to address the challenges that confront them. Such networks vastly contribute to the advancement of research and promote collaboration between scientists at the international level. Moreover, networks offer support that favors equal access to education and training, substantially reducing the digital-divide characteristic of the Region.

GFDD, FUNGLODE, VEC and their partners propose that by expanding thematic networks aimed at mobilizing information, technical assistance and multilateral funds, governments, organizations and communities across the Region will be better equipped to address the challenges that confront them.

The organizing entities conceptualize the Institute for Water and Environment as being an organism that will join together representatives federal and state governments, local agencies, environmental groups and communities in Latin America to advance understanding of the importance of healthy watersheds, and promote the restoration and protection of all watershed basins in the Region, through advocacy, training, research and education.

Virtual Educa Caribe, an initiative of GFDD and FUNGLODE, serves as a platform in which public and private sector representatives from Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Europe can share experiences and innovative methods concerning the incorporation of technological tools in the areas of education and training, in order to facilitate access to knowledge, elevate labor efficiency, and ultimately national economic growth and competitiveness.

As part of their commitment to environmental protection, GFDD and FUNGLODE develop national and international projects and organize conferences and forums designed to promote awareness and improved understanding of environmental issues.

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See Background Information Report>

Related link: www.virtualeduca.org