4 October 2011
Central America Workshop Discusses Water Management and Climate Change
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The workshop on “Regional Development in the Context of Water and Climate Change" was intended to contribute to the action plan currently being drafted by the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) to implement the Regional Strategy on Climate Change (ERCC) approved by the CCAD Council of Ministers in November 2010.

23 September 2011: The Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Global Water Partnership – Central America (GWP-CA) recently organized a workshop titled “Regional Development in the Context of Water and Climate Change.” Participants at the workshop examined the effects of climate change on water security, the economic impacts of inadequate water management, and progress of climate adaptation strategies and policies in Central America. The workshop took place from 22-23 September 2011, in San Salvador, El Salvador, and was intended to contribute to the action plan currently being drafted by CCAD to implement the Regional Strategy on Climate Change (ERCC) approved by the CCAD Council of Ministers in November 2010.

The event aimed to promote dialogue and sharing analyses regarding the theme, and to identify concrete national and regional actions, programmes and projects that might be included in the ERCC action plan. The workshop was attended by 30 agriculture, energy, environment, water and planning experts, representatives of the Governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, as well as representatives from civil society.

On the first day, participants heard presentations by experts on water management, water governance, economics of water, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s (ECLAC) project to assess the the economic impacts of climate change, and the ERCC. Participants then engaged in two discussion panels. The first consisted of representatives from planning ministries who discussed how water and climate change issues factor into their national development plans. The second examined progress Central America has made in addressing climate change and the challenges ahead. The second day of the workshop was organized around four thematic working groups on: agriculture; water supply and sanitation; ecosystems; and energy. [CCAD Press Release (in Spanish)] [GWP-CA Press Release (in Spanish)]

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