Regulatory framework
Combat communicable diseases through environmental sanitation, the development of the availability of drinking water and adopting immunization, prophylaxis and treatment measures provided collectively and individually to the entire population. ARTICLE 115. To fulfill the purposes of the agrarian policy, the State will develop the following activities:
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Provide farmers with the necessary farmland and regulate the use of water. The Law may establish a special regime of collective property for peasant communities that request it. ARTICLE 227.- They belong to the State and are for public use and, therefore, cannot be subject to private appropriation:
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Land and water used for public services and all types of communications;
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The lands and waters destined or that the State allocates for public services of irrigation, hydroelectric production, drainage and aqueducts
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The territorial sea and lake and river waters; the beaches and their banks and the navigable rivers, and the ports and estuaries. All these assets are for free and common use, subject to the regulations established by the Law;
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1. The purpose of these Laws is to regulate the use of continental and insular waters of the State, guaranteeing their sustainability in availability, quality and quantity, through the integrated management of water resources. The provisions of this Law cover all general uses of water resources, so the Panamanian State recognizes the fundamental right to have access to water and sanitation in a universal, supportive and equitable manner, seeking the sustainability of ecosystems.
Article 2. All river, lake, mannas, and brackish waters. underground and atmospheric waters included within the national territory, whether continental or insular, the subsoil, the continental shelf and the territorial sea, are public domain assets of the State, whose allocation, disposition, management and regulation are of public order and interest. social. The provisions of this Law cover all general uses of water resources for each hydrographic basin in accordance with its vocation and potential. Compared to other uses, water for human consumption will always prevail and to guarantee food security, maintaining the sustainability of ecosystems and ensuring environmental flow.
Article 3. This Law recognizes as pnnClplO that water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment, based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and decision makers. at all levels, progressively, focusing at all times on integrated management of water resources at the basin level in a coordinated, efficient, sustainable and equitable manner, considering more cooperative and organizational, open and transparent forms of governance.
The law establishes the basic principles and standards for the protection, (conservation and recovery of the environment, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. In addition, it orders environmental management and integrates it with the social and economic objectives, in order to achieve development. sustainable human development in the country. Likewise, it establishes a general framework on information and participation in environmental matters, and responsibility for environmental damage.
The purpose of this Law is to establish the regulatory framework to which activities related to the provision of public drinking water supply and sanitary sewage services, considered public utility services, will be subject. The provisions of this Law are intended to promote the provision of these public services to the entire population of the country uninterruptedly, under conditions of quality and economic prices, sustainably using natural resources and protecting the environment.
The present PAGIRH 2022-2026 aims to contribute to the increase in the Water Security of Panama, through the prioritization of concrete actions that allow accelerated progress in the implementation of the IWRM.
depending on national priorities, needs of the different sectors, institutional capacity and availability of financial resources. The prioritization process was carried out through multi-stakeholder consultation workshops during the months of October and November 2021 with the participation of the public sector, representatives of civil society organizations, the private sector, academia and international cooperation.
The National Water Security Plan is based on a diagnosis, prepared with the participation of 19 institutions, representatives of all levels of the central administration and decentralized entities, responsible for the management, administration, protection and regulation of water resources, presented and validated in public forums for open consultation with representatives of all sectors that use water.
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The report Monitoring Country Progress in Drinking Water and Sanitation, MAPAS II Panama, summarizes the result of the national dialogue process on the Drinking Water and Sanitation sector, coordinated by the Directorate of the Drinking Water and Sanitary Sewage Subsector (DISAPAS) of the Ministry of Health (MINSA), within the framework of the Interinstitutional Commission for Drinking Water and Sanitary Sewerage ( CIAPAS), with the participation of sectoral institutions, decision makers and other relevant actors in the sector, among which stand out: Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers (IDAAN), the Public Services Authority (ASEP), the Ministry of Environment ( Mi Ambiente), the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), the National Council for Sustainable Development (CONADES), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Secretariat of Presidential Goals, the Department of Social Action (DAS), the Technological University of Panama (UTP), the University of Panama (UP), the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) and the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGRP). Representatives of the regional offices of IDAAN and the Administrative Boards of Rural Aqueducts (JAAR), PANAIDIS and independent professionals also contributed with contributions.
The report Monitoring Country Progress in Drinking Water and Sanitation, MAPAS II Panama, summarizes the result.The PEN has set out five Goal Objectives that underpin the country's development today: Good life for all; Grow more and better, Environmental sustainability; Democracy, institutions and governance; Strategic alliances for development. Strategies, objectives and emphasis emerge from each of these Goal Objectives.
The main programs of the National Government Plan are focused on addressing the immediate needs of the population, taking advantage of the economic growth of our country and the income generated by the Panama Canal, to ensure that Panamanians enjoy a better quality of life and the Future generations enjoy better education, safety and health that allows them to enter the labor market competing for better salaries.
The National Environment Strategy (ENA) 2021-2031 called “Environmental Management for the Restoration of Ecosystems and Sustainable and Inclusive Development” responds to a crucial moment in Panama, in which the State, as of March 2020, has been forced to provide health agencies with the necessary resources to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute to the family economy, as a result of the effects on the national economy that this scourge has generated. These circumstances have outlined new national priorities and a greater awareness of the need to lead the country towards economic, environmental and social sustainability.
Improve the quality of life of the population, the environment and the sanitary conditions of Panama in a sustainable way, promoting economic, urban, social and tourism development through the implementation, management, operation and maintenance of a system that allows the collection, conveyance and treatment of wastewater using appropriate and reliable technology.
The main objective of this Law is to establish in the country a special administrative regime for the management, protection and conservation of hydrographic basins, which allows sustainable development in social, cultural and economic aspects, maintaining the base of natural resources for future generations, based on the Territorial Environmental Management Plan of the Hydrographic Basin.
The National Environment Strategy (ENA) 2021-2031, entitled “Environmental Management for Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable and Inclusive Development,” responds to a crucial moment in Panama, in which the State, since March 2020, has been forced to provide health authorities with the necessary resources to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and to support family finances, as a result of the impact that this scourge has had on the national economy.
Law No. 287: The Law recognizes Nature as a subject of rights and mandates that the State ensure, through its legal system, public policies, and programs, the sustainable use of the environmental benefits of Nature, the prevention and control of factors causing environmental deterioration, sanctions, and restoration for damages caused. It promotes citizen and business participation and responsibility in this area, as well as access to information and justice in environmental matters.
This project seeks to create long-term conditions for better shared governance of the basin, with timely information for integrated water resources management in the Sixaola Binational River Basin between Costa Rica and Panama, and will contribute to reducing agrochemical pollution and the risks associated with periodic flooding in the basin.
The regulations of the State Agri-Food Policy Law (PADE) establish guidelines for the development of the agricultural and livestock sector, ensuring the application of agricultural technology, productivity, competitiveness, food sovereignty, and legal security with an inclusive, territorial, sustainable approach aimed at generating employment and promoting the rural economy. This approach integrates intersectoral actions that enable the production of food in sufficient quantity and quality throughout the value chain and for consumers. territorial, sustainable, and oriented toward job creation and the promotion of the rural economy, which integrates intersectoral actions that allow for the production of food in quantities and with quality that are accessible throughout the value chain and to the consumer.
The regulations of the State Agri-Food Policy Law (PADE) establish guidelines for the development of the agricultural and livestock sector, ensuring the application of agricultural technology, productivity, competitiveness, food sovereignty, and legal security with an inclusive, territorial, sustainable approach aimed at generating employment and promoting the rural economy. This approach integrates intersectoral actions that enable the production of food in sufficient quantity and quality throughout the value chain and for consumers. territorial, sustainable, and oriented toward job creation and the promotion of the rural economy, which integrates intersectoral actions that allow for the production of food in quantities and with quality that are accessible throughout the value chain and to the consumer.
This work was carried out with the aim of addressing the specific impacts of drought and its consequences. It was carried out in collaboration with the Soil Conservation Department, which is part of the Water Security Directorate of the Ministry of the Environment. Support for this initiative was provided through the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with the aim of strengthening national capacities and ensuring adequate preparedness. This effort is part of the Drought Initiative for the 2018-2019 biennium, promoted by the aforementioned Convention, with the aim of contributing to the improvement of prevention, mitigation, and adaptation of communities and ecosystems to abnormal drought events. This is achieved by promoting the creation of policy instruments that strengthen countries' management of this phenomenon.
This program focuses on supporting the planning of reforestation actions by the Department of Forest Conservation and Recovery of the Forestry Directorate (DIFOR) of the Ministry of the Environment.
Institutional Framework
Guarantee the entire population, with a gender focus, access to comprehensive care, through public health services, humanized at all levels of intervention, based on the primary care strategy, and the development of stewardship functions. , management and transformation, privileging equity, efficiency and quality with warmth during care, ensuring transparency processes in the use of resources and the development of health actions with citizen participation, in the construction of the conditions necessary for the social production of health.
Regulate, supervise and ensure excellence in the provision of public services, guaranteeing both regulated companies and clients and/or users, compliance with current legal regulations, respecting their rights.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industries is the institution focused on developing and executing the Government's policies concerning trade and national industry, foreign trade, the promotion of foreign investment and international trade negotiations on behalf of the Republic of Panama.Mission :Planning, organization, coordination, direction and control of activities aimed at making possible the creation, development and expansion of commerce, industry, financial activities, research and use of mineral resources in the country, and compliance with the foreign trade policy.
We are a team of professionals committed to the development of the country. We promote the sustainable use of aquatic resources. We maintain harmony with the environment and safeguard food safety through effective management.
To formulate environmental policy, as the governing body of the State, in matters of protection, conservation, preservation, and restoration of the environment, and the sustainable and responsible use of natural resources, through the promotion of best environmental practices, in compliance with and enforcement of laws, to ensure an optimal environment for future generations and promote the sustainable development of the country.
We provide high quality service to the maritime industry, guaranteeing legal security, free enterprise and a competitive market; through compliance with national and international regulations, within a framework of transparency and environmental social responsibility.
Its mission is to regulate, coordinate and provide the agricultural sector and the population in general with agricultural extension services through agricultural technical-administrative systems, providing the necessary resource on a permanent basis.
We are a public institution, governing, promoter and facilitator of the national housing and territorial planning policy, which integrates the efforts of all sectors of society to improve the quality of life and housing conditions of the population, mainly those of minors. resources and most vulnerable, promoting and executing the national housing and territorial planning policy, which guarantees sustainable development.
Promote the sustainable development of the country through the proposal of public policies, management, coordination, and execution of investment actions that contribute to human development for the improvement of quality of life.
Build and maintain the national road network and regulate public works, through the development and implementation of construction and maintenance policies permanently in the national territory, with the human, material and financial resources assigned to the institution, thus guaranteeing the good condition of roads, streets, avenues and bridges. Modernize the road network at the national level, through coherent strategies under principles of functional logic, efficiently using the resources assigned to the institution.
It is responsible for regulating, controlling, and supervising the provision of public services such as drinking water supply, sewerage, electricity, telecommunications, radio, and television, as well as the transmission and distribution of natural gas.
The function of ARAP is to regulate, promote, and implement technical and administrative measures and processes for the rational, sustainable, and responsible use of aquatic resources in order to protect the national aquatic heritage and contribute to the protection of the environment.
Panama is a country located in southern Central America with a population of more than 4.4 million. It has a variety of climatic zones, due to its mountainous topography, its diversity of heights and wetlands, and its proximity to the two oceans. It can be divided into three main climatic regions: the Caribbean region, which is the warmest and most humid; the central region, which is the most temperate and dry; and the Pacific region, which has a dry tropical climate. Panama administers the Panama Canal, from which a large part of the government’s revenue comes.
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However, in addition to their economic importance, the management and conservation of water resources in the operation of the canal remain paramount.Water scarcity and the equitable distribution of this precious resource are central considerations, particularly given the canal’s dependence on water for operation. While sustainable water management is essential to public health and the environment worldwide, sustainable water management is of particular economic importance in Panama.