Panama

 General Information

Panama faces growing pressures on its water resources, particularly in rural and indigenous communities where sanitation deficits exceed 60%. Rising sea levels are also forcing the planned relocation of island communities in Guna Yala, making water and sanitation solutions critical for both resilience and adaptation. Untreated discharges along coasts and rivers add to the challenge, threatening ecosystems and human health. 

Through GEF CReW+, Panama advanced both governance and practical solutions in close collaboration with indigenous communities. The project developed a Local Guide on Legislation and Best Practices and a Popular Guide for the community of Isberyala, ensuring that residents have accessible tools to manage water resources in line with national law and Guna cultural values. At the national level, it supported the approval of a marine-coastal water quality standard, strengthening regulation for one of the country’s most vulnerable environments. 

In the context of community relocation, CReW+ designed a financial governance scheme for water and sanitation in Nuevo Cartí, and provided technical and economic recommendations for the new water intake and transport system at the new school center, including a proposal for an integrated water and wastewater management system to complement existing treatment solutions. 

At the demonstration level, the program implemented an ecological wastewater treatment system using floating green filter biotechnology at the Niga Kantule Port and hosted a seminar on novel techniques for domestic wastewater treatment. Together, these activities combined policy reform, financing innovation, and ecological technologies to strengthen Panama’s water and sanitation resilience.