Capacity-Building Programs Under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)

Explore our CAFTA-DR work in the following sections: 

• Highlights
• Activities (2020-2024)
  • ​Air Quality Management
  • Public Participation in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process
  • Solid Waste Management
  • Marine Litter
• Activities (2013-2019)
  • Public Participation
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
  • Wastewater Model Regulation
  • Solid Waste Management
  • Enhancing Capacity - For Low Emissions Development Strategies (EC-LEDS)
  • Enforcement and Compliance
  • Initial Efforts (2007-2012)
• Agreements
• Partners
• Learn More

Highlights 

Ineffective solid waste management leads to land-based and marine-based litter, which can cause land and marine degradation.  This can have major environmental, public health, and economic impacts, including: the reduction in the aesthetic, recreational, and economic values of rivers, beaches, and marine resources; wildlife entanglement or ingestion; possible human health risks from ingestion of plastics and microplastics in the food web. EPA assisted four CAFTA-DR countries (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Guatemala and Dominican Republic) and Panama in the development of national marine litter action plans (links to the completed marine litter national action plans are below). Through the action plan development process technical and policy gaps were identified that could impact the implementation process. One of the key gaps identified was environmental awareness. During 2023-24, EPA provided assistance to Costa Rica and El Salvador to implement a pilot project to address marine litter awareness. Costa Rica developed webinars on solid waste management and marine litter tailored for over eight fishing communities. According to in-country sources, many members of the communities were not aware how their daily fishing practices were impacting the environment. They learned that a small change in their fishing practice (i.e. recycling) would be a step in the right direction. El Salvador developed educational materials on marine litter. The material is targeted to primary school students, and it is accessible through the Ministry of Environment website. The materials are colorfully designed and engage students by using age-appropriate language for better comprehension. EPA’s marine litter assistance met the increasing regional interest of countries to develop national action plans as roadmaps to address marine litter challenges. 

Costa Rica: Marine Litter National Action Plan (2021-2030)

Dominica Republic: #0045-2023 document requires to be downloaded as a PDF
Note: Dominica Republic marine litter national action plan has not been uploaded to the Ministry of Environment website at the time this page was updated.

El Salvador: Marine Litter National Action Plan (2022-2032)

Guatemala: Marine Litter National Action Plan (2022-2026)

Panama: Panama Virtual Library - Go to tab "Recursos Marinos Costeros" to find the marine litter national plan.

Activities (2020-2024)

Air Quality Management

Air pollution from stationary and mobile sources, such as from growing industrialization and increased vehicles on the roads, presents a serious threat to human health and the environment in CAFTA-DR countries and Panama. The goal of the Air Quality Management program was to strengthen design and implementation of air quality management policies and programs in this region. 

Improved air quality management will allow CAFTA-DR countries and Panama not only to better characterize and understand air pollution within their major cities from industrial processes and commercial transportation routes, but also to reduce air pollution at local and regional levels. 

EPA and its cooperative agreement partner, Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), designed a program to enhance the capabilities of CATFA-DR countries and Panama to improve air quality. This program was divided in four phases: 

• Phase I: Identification of key priorities for program design. The priority areas identified by CAFTA-DR countries were: (1) emission inventories, (2) standards and regulations, (3) quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and (4) data analysis and equipment. 
• Phase II: Development and deployment of a series of four air quality webinars to address priorities identified by CAFTA-DR countries. Each webinar was designed to help improve the air quality programs of participating countries by providing tools, techniques, expert knowledge, and best practices. The general objectives of each webinar were to: 1)  Strengthen participant’s ability to develop and improve the policies and practices of air quality management within their countries or organizations; and 2) Strengthen cooperation and collaboration between participating countries, organizations and individuals both within countries and with the region. The webinar materials are available on PAHO’s website, thus giving access to the information to all 39 country members. The PAHO website requires interested participants to create a free account and log in to access the materials.
• Phase III: Leveraging of successes in Phases I and II by providing additional assistance and targeted support for the development of emissions inventories and strengthening the monitoring and analytical capacities of select CAFTA-DR countries and Panama. This phase resulted in the development of a Guia Para La Planificación de Inventarios de Emisiones (Emission Inventory Planning Guide) (pdf) (2.94 MB) (Emission Inventory Planning Guide) available in Spanish and developed by the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic and shared as a model for other CAFTA-DR countries, and Panama. 
• Phase IV: EPA assisted El Salvador develop and virtually share a case study to help CAFTA-DR countries and Panama use EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) – a state-of-the-science emission modeling system that estimates emissions for mobile sources at the national, country, and project level for criteria air pollutions, greenhouse gases, and air toxics. The exchange was intended to help these countries and other countries develop or update emission inventories using MOVES. 

In addition, EPA assisted the Ministry of Environment of Panama (MiAmbiente) to strengthen its air quality management technical capacity. This was done by sharing tools (i.e., the series of four air quality modules developed for CAFTA-DR referenced above), reviewing the draft air quality standards, donating air quality sensors and conducting a study tour.  

Public Participation in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) provide a tool to integrate environmental, economic, and social concerns, while mitigating adverse impacts on natural and human environments. EIAs allow governments to set conditions for approval (i.e. for site selection, construction, operation and closure), plan for infrastructure needs and land use, and monitor impacts and compliance. 

Involving the public and stakeholders in the EIA process leads to better identification of economic, social, and environmental costs and the development of future monitoring systems. Clear and transparent enforcement of EIA requirements, procedures, and commitments to mitigation and monitoring helps governments, investors, civil society and indigenous groups mitigate risk and increase opportunities for longer term sustainable economic growth. 

The goal of this program was to support constructive and meaningful engagement among governments, businesses, and civil society, leading to more informed decisions in the EIA process in CAFTA-DR countries and Panama, and stronger environmental protections. 

EPA supported CAFTA-DR countries in developing the first Regional Guidelines on Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment, to strengthen the implementation of inclusive public participation and access to information within existing national EIA frameworks. The CAFTA-DR Regional Guide was modeled after a similar guide for public participation in the EIA process developed by EPA for the Mekong region in Southeast Asia. To support this effort, EPA worked with CAFTA-DR governments to identify international best practices that could be integrated into the legal frameworks of CAFTA-DR countries.  

Led by a Regional Technical Working Group, the Guide was created and drafted through consensus building, public consultation, and incorporating public comment, leading to a more robust guide for the Region.  The Regional Technical Working Group consisted of multiple stakeholders from each country (government ministries, business sector, and civil society groups). Additionally, EPA assisted the CAFTA-DR countries to create country specific “Citizen’s Guides to Environmental Permitting” to educate the public on the environmental permitting process and their right to be involved in both environmental review, monitoring, and enforcement. Today, CAFTA-DR countries that have completed the "Citizen's Guide" include Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The Regional Guide and the completed Citizen’s Guides can be found in Spanish on the project website, Participación Pública en el Processo de EIA.   

EPA also assisted Panama to develop the country’s first National Guidelines on Public Participation in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process. The Guide was modeled after the regional guidelines developed for CAFTA-DR countries. 

EPA continued to assist CAFTA-DR countries and produced three pre-recorded modules and trainings on how to incorporate conflict resolution, tribal/indigenous consultation, and environmental justice into EIAs and the environmental decision-making process.

Solid Waste Management

For many years, solid waste management (SWM) in CAFTA-DR countries and Panama has been inadequately implemented and enforced, creating a legacy of open dumps, jeopardizing human health and environmental quality, and hindering tourism and economic development. However, there is growing awareness of the need for environmental protection related to SWM in the region. 

Most of the household garbage from small communities is simply dumped at small, unmanaged sites over a ravine or embankment which litters the countryside and waterways. The region does not have much experience in the construction and operation of sanitary landfills or the expertise for the regulatory institutions to inspect and monitor the construction and operation of such facilities. 

To help address this issue, EPA developed solid waste management manuals and a workshop on The Construction and Management of Sanitary Landfills, with the goal of increasing the technical capacity at the national and sub-national level on landfill management. The target audience for the training was landfill managers and environment/public health/municipal authorities in CAFTA-DR countries. 

A key outcome of this technical exchange was an increased technical knowledge on sanitary landfill design, construction, operation, and inspection protocols, including the safe closure of existing open dumps.

Due to COVID-19, the SWM workshop (originally planned to be conducted face-to-face) was redesigned into a virtual technical training consisting of the following modules:

1. Importance of Proper Landfill Management
2. Landfill Construction (Parts 1 & 2)
3. Landfill Operations (Parts 1 & 2)
4. Fundamentals of Biogas & Collection Systems
5. Technologies for Use of Biogas
6. Conversion and/or Closure of Open Dumps

This training was based on two manuals developed by EPA in coordination with environmental and health ministries in Central America and funded by USAID as part of its CAFTA-DR environmental assistance program. The two manuals are available in Spanish:

• Manual de Protocolo de Construcción Nuevos Rellenos Sanitarios con Revestimientos (Construction Protocol Manual for New Lined Sanitary Landfills) 
• Manual de Protocolo de Operación Nuevos Rellenos Sanitarios para Desechos Sólidos (Solid Waste Operation Protocol Manual for New Sanitary Landfills) 

EPA provided the solid waste management workshop on the Construction and Management of Landfills to CAFTA-DR countries, and Panama and continues to exchange relevant information with technical staff trained as needed.
 

Marine Litter

Marine litter from land-based sources primarily comes from littering, dumping, and poor waste management practices. Rivers and other waterways are common entry points for land-based waste to enter the marine environment, as they transport to the oceans waste that is either thrown away, flushed away, or dumped into such waterways. Marine litter from sea-based sources, like cargo, solid waste, and fishing gear, comes from shipping vessels, ferries and cruise liners, fishing vessels, private vessels, and other industry infrastructure. Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is the most prevalent source of sea-based marine litter and can be the most damaging from both an economic and environmental perspective.

Inadequate solid waste management is the biggest challenge in addressing land-based sources of marine litter. It is important that key stakeholders working on national solid waste management regulatory policies and marine litter initiative(s) work together and have a platform to discuss ideas and challenges, as well as synergies and leveraging opportunities to effectively combat such environmental threats. 

To assist with these challenges, EPA worked with a select group of CAFTA-DR countries (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Guatemala) and Panama on the SWM and marine litter nexus and how stakeholders can collaborate to ensure initiatives in both areas are better coordinated and complementary of each other. Costa Rica and Panama completed their marine litter national action plan in late 2021. In addition, several small-scale pilot projects have been conducted (in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Panama) as building blocks to help each country develop a national marine litter action plan. Similarly, a small-scale project completed in El Salvador in 2023. EPA is also worked with Honduras to design  a project as an initial step to address marine litter in the country. 

The goal of this program was to build the capacity of governments, civil society, the private sector, and community leaders to better address marine litter and related solid waste management issues through EPA’s Trash-Free Waters International Guide approach, utilizing stakeholder engagement and public participation. This approach provides practical steps for countries to examine the marine litter problem holistically with the help of key stakeholders in a logical way that can be tailored to a country’s needs.  Stakeholders work together to understand the marine litter landscape and how waste is managed, as well as identify structural and behavioral gaps that lead to marine litter.  

A key outcome of this collaboration was an increased knowledge about marine litter and ideas on how to mitigate such challenges in the selected CAFTA-DR countries and Panama. This approach will be based on the principles of inclusive stakeholder participation that would lead up to the development or implementation of a national marine litter action plan in each country. 

Activities (2013-2019)

Public Participation

The goal of the 2013-2018 CAFTA-DR public participation program was to create a network of trained public participation experts in the region, and to use public participation, education and outreach to engage communities in environmental decision-making processes to help enforce environmental laws. 

This work included a regional public participation workshop with local NGOs in July 2016. In 2017, EPA conducted six national public participation workshops to increase community awareness of public participation.  These efforts allowed the community to be heard and validated, and to influence the decision-making process to protect the environment. 

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Country-specific and regional reforms through EIA; 
• Technical assistance for the NEPAssist Geographic Information System-web screening tool;
• EIA Process Administrative Tracking;
• Technical Review Guidelines on EIA; and
• EIA Review Process through recommended regional and country-specific reform agendas.

Under the CAFTA-DR technical capacity building program, EPA provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in El Salvador, on its national EIA permitting process.  El Salvador’s enhanced EIA permitting process serves as a model for Central America.  A video, developed by USAID, highlights the significant progress made.  

• Watch the video

Wastewater Model Regulation

Solid Waste Management 

EPA collaborated with the CAFTA-DR countries to improve and harmonize environmental regulations, policies, and procedures related to solid waste management practices. These actions were accomplished through information exchanges and training, including:

• courses on sanitary landfill inspection protocol and audits; 
• development of regulations, policies and procedures for sanitary landfills and solid waste practices; and
• a design plan to retrofit an open dump into a sanitary landfill, including the capture and potential use of methane gas, for use as a clean energy source (under the objectives of the Global Methane Initiative). 

The full set of documents associated with this design plan are available in Spanish.

Enhancing Capacity - For Low Emissions Development Strategies (EC-LEDS)

EPA’s EC-LEDS program provided assistance to Costa Rica on institutionalizing its greenhouse gas inventory preparation process, in the transportation sector. The assistance included support for improved emissions estimates for the transport sector, emissions standards, reduction of sulfur fuel levels, and economic benefit analysis. 

Enforcement and Compliance

• Investigation of environmental crimes to strengthen environmental law enforcement, including both men and women in the trainings; and
• Adjudicating environmental cases to strengthen the judicial response to environmental violations, including both men and women in the training.

Initial Efforts (2007-2012)

After signing of the CAFTA-DR Trade Agreement, EPA worked extensively on technical capacity assistance in this region. The first phase of work was funded by USAID and included the following areas: 

• Harmonization of Environmental Regulations
• Policies and Procedures (Wastewater) 
• Environmental Law Enforcement
• Environmental Management Systems
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Hazardous Substances and Sound Management of Chemicals
• Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management (SAICM)
• Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry (PRTR)
• Urban Air Quality Management
• Land Use/Land Cover Mapping
• Green Customs