26 November 2012: The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is assisting Costa Rican authorities in coordinating 15 workshops throughout the country as part of national consultations for Costa Rica’s Water Agenda 2013-2030.

The 15 workshops include five focused on regions for San Carlos, Limón, Guanacaste, South Zone and the (San Jose) Metropolitan Area, and ten workshops aimed specific stakeholders such as municipalities, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international cooperation agencies. Six workshop have been held by end-November 2012, with the remaining nine slated to be completed in January 2013.

The Water Agenda, an outline of priority actions for sustainable water management in country, is intended as a complement to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Water Availability Enhancement Project (IWAVE) now under implementation in Costa Rica during its pilot phase. IWAVE, launched by IAEA in 2009, seeks to strengthen national capacities for collecting, managing and interpreting water resources data, including filling data and understanding about water quality, quantity and use and the vulnerability and and sustainability of water resources, including groundwater. The project also assists countries in using advanced technology in water management.

GWP was founded in 1996 by the World Bank, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to foster IWRM. [GWP Press Release (in Spanish)] [GWP Note on Water Agenda (in Spanish)]