From April 7 to 12, 2025, delegations from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador met in Antigua Guatemala to jointly review the national diagnoses on the marine and coastal environment of each country. This activity is part of the regional process of the Sustainable Pacific project to formulate a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the Central American Pacific Coastal Large Marine Ecosystem (GEM PACA).
Participants included representatives from ministries and secretariats of environment, fisheries and foreign affairs, as well as allied institutions: OSPESCA, SICA, FAO, CIMAR, CIAT, Bioelit Foundation, CostaSalvaje, FUNDAECO, Coddeffagolf and the Smithsonian Institute. The meeting also included the presence of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) at the regional level, as the project's implementing agency.
Over three days of technical and participatory work, national findings were analyzed, identifying common and transboundary problems such as the disruption of important fish stocks, marine pollution, habitat loss and the impacts of climate change.
On the first day of the workshop, the results of each national diagnosis were shared. Each team presented the main problems identified in their territories and their underlying causes. In addition, differentiated impacts on women, indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants were presented, as well as progress in the development of the regional information system.
During the following day, work was focused on the construction of impact chains and causal chains for the validated regional problems. Group exercises allowed for a comprehensive visualization of how environmental, social and economic effects are connected throughout the region. Technical discussions on indicators, information gaps and ecosystem approaches reflected the methodological soundness of the process and helped to identify key elements that should be addressed jointly in the subsequent analysis.
On the third day, leverage points that can facilitate collective action were presented and prioritized. It was a day that connected national efforts with a common strategic vision, enhancing the idea that shared challenges can become opportunities if they are addressed through cooperation.
At the end, participants took a cultural tour of Antigua and its surroundings. The visit included communities such as San Juan El Obispo and San Antonio Aguas Calientes, where they shared with women weavers, as well as a tour around Ciudad Vieja and the historic sites of the colonial center.
During the closing ceremony, Evelyn Solís, on behalf of SICA's Executive Directorate, reaffirmed the importance of these regional spaces and the role that the institutional framework of the System can play: "There are definitely common regional challenges, and these types of spaces can contribute to find shared solutions. From SICA, we offer the sectoral Councils of Ministers, including foreign ministries and ministries of finance, so that they can learn about this effort and explore how to contribute to its implementation."
Similarly, the Guatemalan Vice Minister of Water shared a reflection that echoed among the attendees: "We are often small institutions, with limited budgets, facing big problems that affect vulnerable livelihoods. As Octavio Paz once said: to defend nature is to defend man. We need to put intelligence at the service of love, because only then will we build just, sustainable and humane solutions."
This workshop reflected the technical and institutional commitment of those who have accompanied the process from their countries since the beginning of 2024. Building a common approach, in the midst of diverse agendas and complex contexts, requires not only technical capacity, but also a willingness to engage in dialogue, to listen and to build collectively.
Participants included representatives from ministries and secretariats of environment, fisheries and foreign affairs, as well as allied institutions: OSPESCA, SICA, FAO, CIMAR, CIAT, Bioelit Foundation, CostaSalvaje, FUNDAECO, Coddeffagolf and the Smithsonian Institute. The meeting also included the presence of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) at the regional level, as the project's implementing agency.
Over three days of technical and participatory work, national findings were analyzed, identifying common and transboundary problems such as the disruption of important fish stocks, marine pollution, habitat loss and the impacts of climate change.
On the first day of the workshop, the results of each national diagnosis were shared. Each team presented the main problems identified in their territories and their underlying causes. In addition, differentiated impacts on women, indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants were presented, as well as progress in the development of the regional information system.
During the following day, work was focused on the construction of impact chains and causal chains for the validated regional problems. Group exercises allowed for a comprehensive visualization of how environmental, social and economic effects are connected throughout the region. Technical discussions on indicators, information gaps and ecosystem approaches reflected the methodological soundness of the process and helped to identify key elements that should be addressed jointly in the subsequent analysis.
On the third day, leverage points that can facilitate collective action were presented and prioritized. It was a day that connected national efforts with a common strategic vision, enhancing the idea that shared challenges can become opportunities if they are addressed through cooperation.
At the end, participants took a cultural tour of Antigua and its surroundings. The visit included communities such as San Juan El Obispo and San Antonio Aguas Calientes, where they shared with women weavers, as well as a tour around Ciudad Vieja and the historic sites of the colonial center.
During the closing ceremony, Evelyn Solís, on behalf of SICA's Executive Directorate, reaffirmed the importance of these regional spaces and the role that the institutional framework of the System can play: "There are definitely common regional challenges, and these types of spaces can contribute to find shared solutions. From SICA, we offer the sectoral Councils of Ministers, including foreign ministries and ministries of finance, so that they can learn about this effort and explore how to contribute to its implementation."
Similarly, the Guatemalan Vice Minister of Water shared a reflection that echoed among the attendees: "We are often small institutions, with limited budgets, facing big problems that affect vulnerable livelihoods. As Octavio Paz once said: to defend nature is to defend man. We need to put intelligence at the service of love, because only then will we build just, sustainable and humane solutions."
This workshop reflected the technical and institutional commitment of those who have accompanied the process from their countries since the beginning of 2024. Building a common approach, in the midst of diverse agendas and complex contexts, requires not only technical capacity, but also a willingness to engage in dialogue, to listen and to build collectively.
