Guatemala - Institutions and Participation

Action 10 - Promote the formation of management organisations at basin level, for the 38 basins of the country and strategic aquifers

In 2019, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and the Guatemalan Secretariat for Planning and Programming of the Presidency (SEGEPLAN), with the support of GWP Central America, brought together stakeholders from national and county government agencies, development partners, NGOs, civil society, academia, and the private sector to define a series of strategic actions for advancing on IWRM in Guatemala. The objective was to develop strategic institutional and governance actions to advance in IWRM implementation to contribute to the fulfilment of the objectives of national development policies on water, including SDG 6 and other water-related sustainable development goals.  

The Action Plan was revised in 2020 and 2021 to reflect legal and institutional changes and was updated and officially approved by the Vice-Ministry of Water in June 2023.  

The following action was defined as part of that process and identified as a priority action to be included in an action plan. The action focuses on promoting the formation of management organisations at basin level, for the 38 basins of the country and strategic aquifers, favouring their registration and official designation and thus complementing the current structure of Basin Authorities. This is in line with the provisions established in Governmental Agreement 19-2021. 

IWRM Dimension: Institutions and Participation
SDG 6.5.1 Question: 2.2a. Basin/aquifer organizations
Level: Sub-national
Status of action: Awaiting funding
Related SDG Goal: - 6.5 Integrated water resources management & transboundary cooperation
Responsible Agency: MARN, MAGA, MEM