TRINATIONAL COMMISSION OF PLAN TRIFINIO

1. Plan Trifinio and the Shared Watershed of the Lempa River El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Mercedes Llort Trinational Executive Secretary TRINATIONAL COMMISSION OF PLAN TRIFINIO

2. Comprises 7,541 km including 45border municipalities: 8 in ElSalvador, 11 in Guatemala and 22 in Honduras • The Region surrounds the MontecristoCloud Forest • The Region is constituted as anindivisible ecological area by aunique Treaty signed by theGovernments of El Salvador,Guatemala and Honduras. THE TRIFINIO REGION

3. Source of three of the mostimportant water systems in CentralAmerica: Lempa, Motagua y Ulua • Diverse natural resources of theBiological Reserve “La Fraternidad” • Encompasses 50% of the UpperLempa Watershed • The Trifinio Region and theLempa River Basin are intimately related: conditionsin the Region affect the quality and quantity of waterresources THE TRIFINIO REGION

4. Population: 670,000 inhabitants • Area: 7,541 Km • Density: 89 inhabitants/Km • Municipalities: 45 • Rural Population: Greater than 70% • Extreme Poverty: 53% • Illiteracy: Urban 25% Rural 75% • Unemployment (Greater than 50% of Economically Active Population) TRIFINIO REGION MAIN INDICATORS

5. VICIOUS CYCLE: Poverty and Environmental Degradation

6. Increased agricultural activity • - Rapid changes in land use • - Loss of vegetation • - Erosion • 70% of population liveson subsistance agriculture Poor profitability and competitiveness • Limited public investment • - Non-existent cross-bordercooperation • - Weak local organizationalcapacity • Contamination of Lempa River and tributaries • - Untreated waste water from urban centers • - Inappropriate use of agro-chemicals

7. Contributes to CentralAmerican Integration • Promotes participation at thelocal, national and trinationallevels for greater cross-bordercooperation • Permits the integrated managementof shared natural resources TRIFINIO IS A PROCESS UNIQUE IN AMERICA

8. Constitution of theMontecristo NationalPark (1971), one of thefew remaining habitats for rare and endangeredspecies and a vitalsource of water,receiving an averageannual total of 53.2million mts3. • Declaration of the Biosphere Reserve “La Fraternidad” (1987) • Management Plan 1997 • Advisory Committee 2003: institutional representatives responsible for consolidating area management and completing the request for inscription into the UNESCO system of biospheres PROCESS RESULTS

9. Design and approval of Plan Trifinio (1987): • Development strategy, programs and projects • Objective: Contribute to Central American integration through coordinated efforts for the sustainable development of a common region • Water is not a central theme PROCESS RESULTS

10. Trifinio Pilot Project 1992-1999 (EU) reforestation to recover degraded areas, emphasis on families that live near Montecristo Park. • Rational Energy and Environmental Protection 1992-1996 (FINNIDA-OEA). Trees planted for fire wood and introduction of fuel efficient stoves. • Emphasis placed on environmental conservation rather than active grassroots participation and local cross-border development PROCESS RESULTS

11. Signing and Ratification of the Treaty for the Execution of Plan Trifinio • Constituted legal and structural framework of the Institution • Defined the Region as an indivisible ecological unit • Established legitimacy of decisions made by the Institution PROCESS RESULTS

12. Trinational Program for the SustainableDevelopment of the Upper Watershed of theLempa River US$31.3 million • 3 IADB loans • Counterpart contributions: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras • Donations from NORAD and GTZ, Japan IDB-Fund, Spain • Concessionaire funds from NDF • Functions as a single operation executed by the CTPT PRINCIPLE PROCESS RESULTS

13. Respond to needs andproblems prioritized by thepopulation of the region inall three countries • Respond to local demand and focus on establishing nationaland trinational participatoryprocesses • Respond to the regionalintegration objectives of thethree countries PROGRAM CONCEPTS

14. GENERAL OBJECTIVE Contribute to poverty alleviation and to the reduction of environmental degradation. COMPONENTS • Natural Resource Management • Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation • Promotion of Economic Diversification • Institutional Strengthening • BENEFICIARIES: 305,000 inhabitants

15. 2,500 small hillside producers utilize conservation practicesand sustainable technologies • 14,200 Hectares of sustainable management of natural resources and reforestation • 19 secondary basins protected • Civil society and 19 local governments are empowered for risk management by implementing actions to reduce vulnerability • 960 small and medium enterprises improve competitivenessand diversify activities PROGRAM EXPECTED OUTCOMES

16. EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS Trinational Program for the Sustainable Development of the Upper Basin of the Lempa RiverWater

17. The trinational system: Trinational Commission, institutions, localgovernments and communityorganizations promote regionalsustainable development • Integration is increased and strengthened PROGRAM EXPECTED OUTCOMES

18. Central America is a Region of Borders • The border region features marginalized populations largely forgotten by the development process • Development is negatively effected by a history of conflict which causes nations to treat borders as territories which must be defended • Shared water resource management has been handled at thepolitical and institutional levels CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED

19. Despite that shared water resources havenot been central to the Trifinio process, the experience has laid a strong foundation for the integrated management of aninternational river basin • The Sustainable Development Project of the Upper LempaRiver Basin provides the structure necessary to open channels of communication at the local and central levels inthe three countries • Trifinio’s legal and institutional framework represents aunique opportunity for integrated management which isattractive to donors CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED

20. Thank you for your attention