Latin American Consultation, São Paulo, Brazil

Full reports from:

• South Asia
  Colombo, Sri Lanka, 10-11 Dec 1998
• Latin America
  São Paulo, Brazil, 12-13 August 1999
• Africa / Middle East
  Cairo, Egypt, 8-9 December 1999
• East and South-East Asia
  Hanoi, Vietnam, 26-27 February 2000

1400 individuals from 59 countries took part in the 4 WCD regional consultations held for South Asia (December 1998), Latin America (August 1999), Africa and the Middle East (December 1999) as well as East & Southeast Asia (February 2000). The meetings were carefully organised to ensure broad-based participation by NGOs, governments, industry/utilities, irrigation interests, academics, financiers, and other interested parties. The WCD also participated in two hearings organised for its benefit by NGOs in Southern Africa (November 1999) and Europe (January 2000).

The regional consultations provided an effective forum for those with different perspectives in the debate to meet and better understand the reasoning and views of the parties. The issues that emerged via the regional consultations were:

• participation and transparency in planning and decision-making on dams;
• displacement, resettlement and reparation for those negatively affected by dams;
• dams as a way to satisfy demands for food, energy, drinking water, and flood control;
• assessing the costs and benefits of alternatives in providing irrigation, flood control, electricity and water supply;
• the importance of environmental sustainability;
• regional/transboundary approaches to sharing water resources, and conflict resolution; and
• how to ensure those engaged in dam building comply with regulations, laws, and policies.