The Secretary of Water Resources and Urban Environment of the MMA, Silvano Silvério, said at the opening of the 2nd Latin American Conference on Sanitation (LatinoSan), in Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná), that just providing the access to sanitation services is no longer enough. According to him, it is fundamental to ensure quality of service. For the secretary, the meeting, which began on Sunday (March 14), facilitates the sharing of information and experiences between countries. Seventeen Latin American countries take part in the event.
Silvano noted that Brazil already has valuable legal tools for better performance in the sanitation sector, such as the Sanitation Law (11.445/07). The country also has the National Sanitation Plan, scheduled to be completed in 2010; the Nation Plan on Climate Change; and the Commitment for the Environment, Health and Basic Sanitation, launched by the MMA in December 2009. Another instrument is the National Policy on Solid Waste, recently approved by the House of Representatives.
The 2nd LatinoSan resumes the discussion initiated in the meeting held in 2007 in Cali, Colombia. At that time, 17 countries signed the "Cali Ministerial Statement", which sets the goals of prioritizing sanitation in national development policies, supporting the achievement of the Millennium Goals and ensuring the intergovernmental cooperation in Latin America.
The conference continues until next Thursday (March 18) with discussions regarding the quest to improve the well being of the population, with emphasis on poverty alleviation, sanitation provision and natural resources management. The contents of the panels have been presented in plenary sessions, seminars and round tables and rely on the presence of national and international experts.
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