Jump to main content.

Capacity-Building Programs Under CAFTA-DR

The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) includes Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States.

EPA works on environmental capacity building within the CAFTA-DR region, as an implementation partner with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in accordance with the priorities outlined in the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA).  This capacity building work includes efforts to:

EPA is creating regional air quality networks and providing air monitoring equipment, to give the region a future of clean air.

This work has already produced results in planning, coordination, capacity building, and project implementation, such as:

The CAFTA-DR work focuses on legislation and policies that address water contamination, air pollution, solid waste management and chemicals management, under programs with the following goals:

blank

Heavy-duty diesel trucks have a major impact on air quality in Central America.

Each of the eleven programs are detailed below.

Program 1: Environmental Regulations, Policies and Procedures

This program works to develop compatible environmental standards and regulations, at high levels of protection, in order to establish a level playing field for industries seeking to do business in the region, strengthen economic integration, and support the goals of the CAFTA-DR. Current projects include:

Program 2: Compliance with Environmental Law

Technical assistance and training to authorities in charge of environmental law enforcement and implementation, including judges and magistrates, justice ministry officials, judicial training institutes, public service employees and local government, the Environmental and other Ministries, the Environmental Attorneys General offices and local governments in each CAFTA-DR country. Training will include:

Program 3: Compliance Promotion, Auditing and Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

Within the private sector, promotion of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze, control, and reduce the environmental impacts of its activities, products and services. Activities include:

Program 4: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Review Process and Tools

This program works to strengthen the preparation of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and EIA reviews, for effective decision-making. Activities include:

EPA is providing techincal assistance and training to ensure safe handling of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste.

Program 5: Safe Handling of Hazardous Substances

This program provides technical assistance, training, guidance and recommendations in the handling and management of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste. Two major components include:

Program 6: Implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)

Developed by a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral Preparatory Committee, SAICM supports achievement of the goal (agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development) that, by the year 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health. This project is designed to promote overall chemicals management. Project activities include:

Program 7: Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)

Under this program, work is underway to facilitate the development of a regional PRTR approach in the CAFTA-DR to aid in the identification, reporting and publicly releasing information on priority pollutants.

An air quality monitoring audit in Guatemala City

An air quality monitoring audit in Guatemala City, April 2009.

Program 8: Air Quality Management

This program provides technical assistance to develop a comprehensive urban air quality management program. Activities include:

Program 9: Land-use/Land-Cover Maps

The program provides technical assistance and training to improve land use monitoring tools through ground-truthing of current land-use/cover maps to insure compliance with Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) related to climate change.

Program 10: Customs and Environmental Cooperation Procedure

The program provides training to enhance the control of the import and export of internationally traded goods and wastes that are subject to multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

Public Access to Public Information

This project is to improve environmental information management, and public access to environmental information. An administrative tracking system for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was selected as the topic for the pilot project. A software package will be developed to allow the Ministry of Environment in Costa Rica and the Costa Rican public keep track of the EIA. Once the system is tested in Costa Rica, it will be available for all CAFTA-DR countries.

Additional Resources and Information:

Back to:Latin America and the Caribbean

Contacts

For additional information on EPA's work with Latin America and the Caribbean, contact:

Cam Hill-Macon
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of International Affairs (2670R)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
E-mail: hill-macon.cam@epa.gov
(202) 564-6408

Local Navigation

Jump to main content