Panama adheres to the Water Convention

Panama ratified this Thursday its adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Water Courses and International Lakes, the so-called Water Convention, which will promote the sustainable use of transboundary water resources and cooperation. It is the first country in Latin America to do so.

“Panama is committed to the sustainable use of natural resources. The protection of the environment is a priority for the country. Our accession to the Water Convention is a crucial commitment that reaffirms our leadership as a blue and green country worldwide, providing the nation and our continent with an additional tool [para gestionar mejor el agua]”, declared the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.

For her part, the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (CEPE) welcomed Panama as the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to adhere to the international instrument.

“The Convention offers a legal framework and an institutional platform to spur much-needed progress on transboundary water cooperation. I encourage other countries in the region to join, and those already in the process of joining, to accelerate their efforts to reap the benefits of this proven instrument for cooperation,” said Olga Algayerova.

strategic position

Panama is located between Central and South America and in turn is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. With some four million inhabitants, the country has a large amount of water resources; it has approximately 33,000 m³ of fresh water available per capita, almost six times the world average.

The country shares river basins with Costa Rica and Colombia, and the total area of ​​transboundary river basins represents approximately 25% of the national territory. The main uses of water are industry, agriculture, transport and navigation, drinking water supply, hydroelectric production, fishing, tourism and environmental services, so cooperation is key to the development of border regions.

The main transboundary river basin for Panama is the Sixaola, located on the border with Costa Rica, which hosts important biodiversity and agricultural activitiesand has cultural importance due to the presence of indigenous peoples and Afro-Caribbean populations.

Panama and Costa Rica are working together to coordinate the development of the Sixaola river basin through a Binational Commission. In this context, they hope that the application of the Water Convention will help establish systems for monitoring and sharing data on qualityquantity and use of water, which in turn help identify trends and potential problems and make decisions.

The Convention would promote cooperation between Panama and Colombia, improve water governance and build trust between both nations, by establishing clear rights.

51 parts

153 countries around the world share rivers, lakes and groundwater resources. Open for accession by all UN member states since March 1, 2016, the Convention now has 51 parties.

In actuality there are several Latin American and Caribbean countries in the accession processincluding the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Uruguay.