March 2020 – The World Bank Water Global Practice, the International Finance Corporation, and the 2030 WRG met with CONAGUA to discuss the prospect of collaborating on a comprehensive technical advisory process focusing on ways to strengthen the Mexican water financing system.  The meeting took place in CONAGUA’s headquarters and included the participation of personnel from different units dealing with water resources planning, project structuration, project finance, and legal advisory.

The outcome of this meeting is a comprehensive work plan that includes the following activities: (i) the mapping and diagnostics of the water sector’s existing financing sources and instruments; (ii) the analysis of the 1928 trust fund’s operations and prospects; (iii) the identification and sharing of international best practices regarding water financing systems; (iv) the establishment of a PPP-specialized office; and (v) the implementation of a capacity-building process on PPP project structuration.

These technical advisory activities are part of the longstanding collaboration between the World Bank Group and CONAGUA, and hopefully will help strengthen the Mexican water financing systems to respond to important budgetary cuts and financial gaps in the water sector.