Cahuita, Talamanca, Costa Rica; May 2018. Representatives of the ministries and agencies of Costa Rica and Panama with presence in the zone, indigenous development associations of both countries, as well as tourism organizations and municipalities, international non-governmental entities, together with the support of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), met in Cahuita (Talamanca), for the Ordinary Assembly of the Sixaola River Basin Binational Commission.

As part of the outstanding points of the agenda, stands out the contribution of the IUCN that has derived in the consolidation of strategic alliances in Sixaola. From the implementation of the AVE: Adaptation, Vulnerability & Ecosystems project, and the BRIDGE: Building Dialogues for the Good Water Governance project, it has been possible the strengthening of the institutional framework, the integration of multiple actors and sectors within the water governance processes and the promotion of the Ecosystem-based Adaptation for confront the effects of climate change.

The IUCN contributed with the consolidation of the following outcomes:

• Updating of the intern Bylaw of the Binational Commission.
• Socialization of the Transboundary Development Strategic Plan of the Binational Commission, which has prioritized strategic development axes: social-cultural; political-institutional; environmental; and economical-productive.
• Scaling-up of the EbA measures in sustainable farms which are incorporated in the actions of new projects, as the project of the Central American Strategy of Territorial Rural Development (ECADERT).

During the celebration of the Assembly, David Ramos, representative of the Institute of Agricultural Research of Panama (IDIAP), commented: “the activity has been very enriching due to the amount of information that has been shared, especially the information related to know different alternatives for getting funds for new projects within the Sixaola river basin. Considering this, I think that is highly important to promote the participative research involving not only the Commission members, but also the communities’ actors in order to improve the decision-making process”.

The Ordinary Assembly of the Binational Commission was carry out thanks to the support of the BRIDGE: Building Dialogues for Good Water Governance Project, and AVE: Adaptation, Vulnerability & Ecosystems Project, both funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.