TDA workshop
The Trifinio Region—shared by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—completed a major milestone toward strengthening transboundary water governance through the implementation of 10 validation workshops for the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and Shared Aquifer Diagnostic Analysis (SADA), bringing together more than 200 participants from across the three countries.
The workshops were carried out under the project “Fostering Water Security in the Trifinio Region”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by UNEP, and executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS), through the Americas Water Program, in coordination with the Trinational Commission of the Plan Trifinio (CTPT).
The process combined regional and national workshops, creating a participatory platform for validating technical findings and integrating territorial perspectives into the development of the TDA/SADA process. Participants included local community representatives, municipal authorities, national institutions, and technical experts.
The workshops focused on validating key transboundary challenges affecting the Lempa River basin, including environmental degradation, water governance gaps, and pressures on surface and groundwater resources. Participants also identified priority environmental, social, and institutional impacts while contributing to the co-creation of solution pathways that will inform the Strategic Action Programme (SAP/PAE).
The process represents an important step toward strengthening trinational cooperation and advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in one of Central America’s most strategic transboundary basins. The TDA/SADA process provides the scientific and technical foundation for the development of coordinated regional actions and long-term governance mechanisms.
With the validation phase completed, the project now advances toward the finalization of the TDA/SADA technical documents and the development of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP/PAE), which will define priority investments, policy actions, and cooperation mechanisms for addressing shared water challenges in the basin.
The workshops also reinforced institutional dialogue and trust among stakeholders, strengthening collaboration between local communities, national authorities, and regional institutions working toward sustainable water security.
This milestone contributes to broader global efforts to strengthen transboundary water cooperation and supports progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6.5 on Integrated Water Resources Management and transboundary cooperation.
Words by Emmanuel Fontalvo Patiño.
TDA workshop
About the Trifinio Basin
The project “Fostering Water Security in the Trifinio Region: Formulating a TDA/SAP for the Transboundary Lempa River Basin” is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) in coordination with the Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT) across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
The project spans 48 months and aims to foster water security in the upper Lempa River basin while increasing the resilience of its ecosystems to climate variability and change.