EL SALVADOR IN 2004 THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT OF

0 UNIVERSIDADE SALVADOR – UNIFACS DEPARTAMENTO DE CIÊNCIAS ECONÔMICAS
01032004 ACUERDO NO SAN SALVADOR DE DE 1998
19 PADRE FRANCISCO JORDÁN APÓSTOL DEL DIVINO SALVADOR Y

21 LA IGLESIA EPISCOPAL DEL SALVADOR 155 MORRIS AVENUE
22 EL SALVADOR INFORME ALTERNATIVO SOBRE EL CUMPLIMIENTO DE
25 UNIVERSIDAD DE EL SALVADOR FACULTAD MULTIDISCIPLINARIA ORIENTAL SECRETARÍA

El Salvador

El Salvador



In 2004 the Ministry of Environment of El Salvador began a new government programme in an attempt to meet sustainable, participatory management of its water resources. Past projects that had been carried out by international institutions like FAO or the World Bank had collapsed due to the minimal consideration paid to local people. The new approach was therefore bottom-up, through the formation of river basin organizations (RBOs) with direct involvement of local people. The aim is to have eight RBOs by 2009.


The process of RBO formation covers stakeholder identification in the basin, biophysical and economic appraisals, participatory identification of problems and threats, and workshops to identify lacking information and to build consensus. A three to five month capacity building process is done with specialists on sanitation, forests, water, conflict resolution, fauna, flora, RBOs, etc. After the training a technician develops a proposal on how to integrate the management of the basin from headwaters to sea and develops the structure and functioning of the RBO, which is shared and revised by the workgroups formed during the capacity building process. Once consensus is reached a general assembly is called to elect committees and representatives from each community.


The initial activities undertaken include the formulation of the strategic plan, securing statutes to get a legal status, developing a matrix of priority projects and inviting a donors’ roundtable. The Ministry of Environment backs the process and assists with the consolidation of the RBO through continuous capacity building, technical assistance, financing pilot projects, assisting with practical management issues (e.g. land, wetlands), etc. until the organization is strong enough and self-sustaining. It is expected that this may take up to six years.


Initial funds for the process have been granted by AECI (Spanish cooperation).


Four RBOs have been formed to date:



The new Water Law of El Salvador has divided the country into three regions (central, west and eastern) and it is expected that once all eight RBOs have been formed and are strong enough, they will join at higher levels to be represented at the regional level and become like political bodies. There is the recognition though that in order to get to that stage, it is essential to work with the people in a bottom-up way, to ensure they are direct participants in the protection of water resources.



3 SUPERINTENDENCIA DEL SISTEMA FINANCIERO SAN SALVADOR EL SALVADOR
4 CARTA A LOS DISCÍPULOS (12) DESDE SAN SALVADOR
47 UNIVERSIDAD DE EL SALVADOR FACULTAD MULTIDISCIPLINARIA ORIENTAL SECRETARÍA


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