The Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic is set to enter the regional history books when it welcomes policymakers, experts and stakeholders from across the hemisphere to the VII Latin American Sanitation Conference, better known as LatinoSan 2026, scheduled to run from June 2 to 4, 2026 in the coastal resort hub of Punta Cana. This milestone marks the first time the conference has been hosted by a country from the Caribbean region, opening new opportunities to center the unique water, sanitation and hygiene challenges faced by small island and coastal developing nations of the area.
First launched in 2007, the landmark triennial forum has grown into the region’s most prominent gathering focused on advancing universal access to clean water and functional sanitation. Every three years, it draws a diverse cross-section of attendees, including cabinet-level government ministers, senior public officials, leading academic researchers, representatives from multilateral international organizations, and civil society advocates working on the ground to expand access to basic services. The core mission of every LatinoSan gathering is to foster collaborative dialogue around cutting-edge, actionable solutions that can close persistent access gaps across Latin America and the Caribbean.
For the 2026 iteration, event organizers are targeting tangible progress that will shape regional policy for years to come. They anticipate the conference will produce renewed political commitments from participating governments, drive meaningful regulatory reforms to strengthen sanitation systems, and unlock targeted investment plans designed to deliver on the global goal of universal, equitable access to safe sanitation services for all communities.
Centered on the overarching theme “Innovation, Inclusion and Resilience: Sanitation that Drives Health, Equity and Sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the 2026 conference agenda will cover a broad range of pressing topics spanning the full sanitation ecosystem. Discussion tracks will address the divergent sanitation needs of urban centers and isolated rural communities, examine gaps and opportunities in governance and sustainable financing frameworks, explore strategies to build climate-resilient sanitation infrastructure, and unpack the interconnected relationships between sanitation systems, the Caribbean’s tourism sector, biodiversity conservation, and the fast-growing blue economy.
The event will be hosted at the Convention Center of the Barceló Bávaro Palace in Punta Cana, with co-organizing leadership from the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health and the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewerage (INAPA). The Inter-American Development Bank is providing key institutional and financial support for the conference. Confirmed senior leaders attending the opening and core sessions include Dominican Republic Health Minister Víctor Atallah and INAPA Executive Director Wellington Arnaud.