Paraguay’s President-elect Fernando Lugo is holding meetings with a number of specialists to prioritize infrastructure and water works. One of the first steps to be taken by Lugo will be to declare the country’s health system in a state of emergency, says an official from Lugo´s office. This will help obtain funding for water and sanitation works, and will also speed up the execution of works.

Earlier in April 2008, Paraguay’s finance minister César Barreto met with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to obtain financing, among others, for water and sanitation projects. According to local newspaper ABC, JBIC will send a technical committee to Paraguay to analyse a number of water, sanitation and housing projects.

Paraguayan authorities have said they do not have sufficient resources to expand, improve and rehabilitate water and sanitation services.

Web site: Wikipedia information on Fernando Lugo

Sources: Eva Medalla, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 24 Apr 2008; BNamericas.com, 17 Apr 2008; BNamericas.com, 15 Apr 2008

Tags: financing, latin america & caribbean, policies & legislation