International Development Cooperation in the Fields of Water and Sanitation: A Comparative Study of the United States and the Spanish Approaches in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

In the last decade, the access to drinking water and sanitation have been acknowledged as human rights by the international community; they have also been recognized as a crucial goal for achieving sustainable development for all, in the framework of the 2030 Agenda. The need for international cooperation in those fields has gained new attention, and several multilateral actors and development agencies (including USAID and AECID) have consolidated or amplified their support to the WASH sector in developing countries. A comparative analysis of the different ways in which the United States and the Spanish cooperation conceive, design and implement their development programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean can contribute to a better understanding on the strategies to effectively protect and promote those human rights and to achieve SDG 6.