he Panama Canal held a strategic meeting with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to explore opportunities for cooperation on conservation projects and sustainable management initiatives within the Panama Canal Watershed. The meeting reflected the shared interest of both institutions in advancing environmental protection and long-term sustainability in an area of major national and global importance.
According to the Panama Canal Authority, the session included a key meeting with Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the GEF. The organization, known for working alongside multiple multilateral funds, focuses on addressing some of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges through integrated solutions. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $26 billion in financing, primarily through grants, and has mobilized an additional $148 billion for priority projects led by developing countries.
During the meeting, Rodríguez shared insights into the International Waters Program, which supports transboundary cooperation in shared marine and freshwater ecosystems. In the case of watersheds, the program focuses on both transboundary basins and those of strong local relevance. The Panama Canal Watershed was highlighted as an area of particular interest because of its direct impact on both Panama and global maritime trade.
For their part, Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales and Luis Rovira, Vice President for Water Resources, presented the Canal’s programs and results from 20 years of sustainable natural resource management in the watershed. They highlighted achievements in social empowerment, land tenure rights, environmental economic incentives, and environmental education programs. The Canal also noted that it has invested approximately $117 million over the past 25 years in implementing these initiatives across the watershed territory.
Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, who assumed leadership of the GEF in June 2020, expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of working with the Panama Canal on projects that not only benefit the country, but also contribute meaningfully to environmental conservation on a global scale. The meeting concluded with the understanding that the objectives of the GEF and the Panama Canal are aligned, and that both sides will continue exploring cooperation mechanisms for programs within the Canal watershed, with the potential for those experiences to be replicated in other basins across Panama.
