Panama has taken over the coordination of the Binational Commission of the Sixaola River Basin, a joint body with Costa Rica for the integrated management and conservation of this water resource. The Panamanian Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente) reported this on Friday. "We will do our best to strengthen the shared management of this transboundary basin," said Arelis Cotes, regional director of MiAmbiente in the Panamanian province of Bocas del Toro (Caribbean), who will hold the coordinating position until November 2026. The Binational Commission for the Sixaola River Basin was created in 2007 under the Panama-Costa Rica Border Cooperation Development Agreement and began operations in 2009. It is made up of 48 organizations from both countries, government entities and the private sector, as well as traditional indigenous authorities. However, the basin is at risk due to serious environmental problems caused by human activity. The Sixaola River Basin is located mainly in the canton of Talamanca in the province of Limón (Costa Rican Caribbean coast) and in the district of Changuinola in the province of Bocas del Toro on the Panamanian side. According to authorities, more than 33,000 people depend on the Binational Sixaola River Basin, and it is a valuable ecosystem between the two countries. This advance comes in a context in which Panama is strengthening its presence in multilateral water governance frameworks after becoming, in 2023, the first country in Latin America to adhere to the Water Convention, a United Nations instrument for the sustainable management of transboundary watercourses. The coordination is "fundamental" for the integrated management of the water resource and the development of joint actions aimed at conservation, territorial planning, and sustainable production.
