The city of Iquitos, located in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, is preparing to become the center of a vital event for the conservation of water resources: the Amazon Water Summit. Organized by the Vicariate of Water of the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, this summit will take place from tomorrow, October 1 to 3, 2025, and is presented as a space for reflection and action in the face of the water crisis affecting the Amazon regions.
Despite being surrounded by majestic rivers, the situation in Iquitos is alarming: many homes lack continuous access to drinking water (60.3% of the population does not have access to this resource), forcing families to draw water from contaminated rivers.
The Vicariate of Iquitos has been supporting communities in various processes for decades. Among them are communities affected by oil spills in the Marañón and communities that would have been impacted by the Amazon Waterway. It has also supported the women of Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, who filed a lawsuit that resulted in the declaration of the Marañón River as a Rights Holder.
For a decade, the vicariate has also accompanied the 21 de Setiembre and Iván Vásquez settlements in the district of Punchana, which live on the edge of an open sewer. There, it supports the community in its struggle to improve living conditions. With the support of legal organizations and the Church, access to drinking water and sanitation and the closure of an open drainage canal have been demanded. Two years ago, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the settlements, recognizing serious violations of basic rights. This decision is considered a legal benchmark for the enforcement of rights in the region and obliges the State to plan organized responses to the situation. The importance of community organization in bringing about change and the urgency of improving dignity in peripheral neighborhoods and urban planning are highlighted.
The Amazon Water Summit is supported by the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), CELAM, REPAM, the Churches and Mining Network, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Catholic University (PUCP), the Amazonian Center for Anthropology and Practical Application (CAAAP), Forum Solidaridad, IDL, WCS, and the Moore Foundation and Aguas Amazónicas.
The summit will be a space for dialogue between science, faith, and indigenous peoples, inspired by the Catholic Church’s documents Laudato Si and Querida Amazonia, to listen to the cry of the Amazonian communities and of the earth and water, and turn it into a concrete commitment to care for the planet.
Monsignor Miguel Ángel Cadenas Cardo emphasizes the importance of this initiative: “The common good involves caring for the environment; rivers are vital for food security. The Amazon Water Summit seeks to connect people and institutions that share the same concern, promoting joint actions to protect this essential resource.”
It will address not only local problems but also global challenges. The event will culminate with the reading and approval of a declaration that will serve as the basis for future local and Amazon basin-wide actions around water protection in the Amazon. In the words of Cadenas, referring to the case of human settlements without water and sanitation, “complying with the Constitutional Court’s mandate is a moral obligation to reduce disease and suffering and avoid significant economic losses.”
The Amazon Water Summit represents a crucial moment for the region and the planet, a call to action to save our rivers and, with them, our future.
Objectives of the Summit:
- To raise awareness of the impacts of the environmental crisis on the aquatic ecosystems of the western Amazon, affected by oil extraction, deforestation, hydroelectric dams, and illegal mining activities.
- To promote ecclesial and social collaboration for the protection of rivers and the recognition of the universal right to water and basic services.
- To share experiences and strengthen a culture of water stewardship, paying special attention to Amazonian cities where access to safe water is insufficient.
Among the expected outcomes of the summit are the strengthening of a network of groups and communities working to defend water in the Amazon; an educational program for children, adolescents, and young people focused on responsible water management; and a document compiling the requests of Amazonian communities to be presented at national and international forums.
According to the program, the work will conclude with a reflection document and proposals for concrete actions to be taken jointly.