Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) is an important issue for Central America because of the growing population in the cities and the effects of climate change on urban water resources.

In Central America there are 23 transboundary basins which represent approximately 36.9% of the territory. But in most there are no joint agreements for their management. That is why GWP Nicaragua and the Latin American Water Tribunal (TLA) coordinated the regional forum, "Water in Central America: Opportunities for conflict resolution."

In December, GWP Honduras helped organise a workshop on IWRM to contribute to the development of the annual plan for the management of rural water systems in southern Honduras.

Costa Rica has made significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, but the sector still faces challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery. GWP Costa Rica is organizing workshops as part of a consultation process to be carried out from November 2012 through January 2013 for the elaboration of the Water Agenda 2013-2030.

Two-thirds of the Central American population lives in urban areas which is why GWP Central America, with the support of CapNet and LAWETNet, organized a regional workshop on Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) at the Pan-American School for Agriculture (Zamorano) in Honduras from 29 October to 1 November 2012. Participants included representatives of the six countries of the region from municipalities of major cities, water and sanitation agencies, and universities.

In 2011, GWP El Salvador was one of three networks recognised by the government as allies in the consultative process for the revision of the draft Water Bill and the National Policy on Water and Sanitation. 

Central America is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world with regards to climate change.

GWP Honduras together with Fundación Vida and the Association of Municipalities of Honduras (AMHON) coordinated a workshop to train representatives of 25 municipalities of western Honduras on IWRM in the city of Danli, on September 6, 2012. This activity was part of a broader program led by AMHON and the National Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) on the protection of forests. The objective was to impart knowledge on the main concepts of IWRM to increase its use in local settings.

GWP Costa Rica has been invited to participate in a pilot project on the improvement of the availability of water. About 61% of the country’s 4.3 million people are located in urban areas, and while there has been significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, the sector faces key challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery.

The Water Reform process in El Salvador has been advancing rapidly, thanks to the willingness of the government to work with different stakeholders committed to good water governance.