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Proposed Work Program, and Descriptions of Specific
Studies and Demonstration Projects The purpose of this
request is to procure financing for the formulation of a Strategic Action
Program for the Integrated Management of Water Resources and the
Sustainable Development of the San Juan River Basin and its Coastal Zone.
The ultimate objective of the SAP is to ensure the availability of the
goods and services provided by water resources for conserving natural
ecosystems and social and economic development in order to satisfy present
and future demands as agreed by all parties involved. In this way
conflicts related to the use of the goods and services generated by SJRB
ecosystems will be minimized through a coordinated program of action
conducted jointly by the two countries. The major components of the SAP
formulation include: i) the strengthening of a basin-wide information
system that provides the mechanisms for gathering and dissemination of
data adequate to the needs of decision-making for the integrated
management of the basin; ii) the creation of a well-coordinated bilateral
planning process for the SJRB; iii) the implementation of a gender
oriented public participation process; iv) the strengthening of public
institutions and private organizations; and v) the formulation and
implementation of environmental education activities.
Coordination between the two countries is an important mechanism that can
help to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and protect the
ecosystem. This cooperation will support the coordination of research and
transboundary management. It will permit the interaction of government
institutions and NGOs, strengthening both and making possible a more
integrated – and thus more sustainable – development.
The SAP will create a framework for future action and a timetable of
activities for the protection and use of the numerous goods and services
offered by the water resources and ecosystems of the SJRB. It will thus
promote the sustainable development of the region. The SAP will lay out a
series of measures to reduce and/or eliminate current and emerging
problems affecting the conservation and development of the SJRB. It will
enhance the transboundary and global benefits obtained when development is
both integrated and participatory, and when environmental education,
technology transfer, and institutional strengthening are key elements of a
program. The SAP will address priority transboundary
needs and focus on long-term solutions to the current and emerging
problems facing the SJRB. Furthermore, it will propose a series of
projects based on experience gathered from demonstrations of new
technologies, taking into account their real costs and the capacity of the
institutions and organizations involved to execute them. | 
