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Environmental Hub for Central America and the Caribbean

U.S. EMBASSY
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

The Department of State’s Regional Environmental Hub for Central America and the Caribbean is located at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was established in August 1997 as one of twelve regional environmental offices at U.S. Embassies throughout the globe. The Hub program reflects the conviction of the Department of State that threats to the global environment constitute a threat to the strategic interests of the United States, and that innovative U.S. foreign policy tools must be developed to address challenges that know no borders. The environmental hubs are at the forefront of encouraging regional and international cooperation for management of the world's resources.

The Hub for Central America and the Caribbean works closely with the region's governments, multilateral organizations, NGOs and private sector to focus on the most pressing environmental issues:

Trade and Environment
Domestic Environmental Governance
Forests
Water
Biodiversity Protection
Marine and Coastal Resources Management

Through its efforts on regional environmental issues, the Hub in Costa Rica supports our broader regional foreign policy goals such as economic integration and development and strengthening cooperation between Central America and the Caribbean.

Activities in Central America and the Caribbean:

The Hub operates in close coordination with other U.S. Government agencies to present a unified United States Government plan of action to seek regional solutions to these challenges. These agencies include:

The Hub also joins efforts with NGOs such as WWF and IUCN, among others. It also serves as a clearinghouse of information concerning U.S. Government environmental activities throughout the region.

Specific work areas in include:

Promote implementation of Chapter 17 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) and the Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) between CAFTA signatories. The Hub worked with the State Department and USAID to develop the ECA workplan and identify projects on environmental cooperation. CAFTA signatories include Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Encourage forest conservation. The Hub represents Embassy Belmopan on the Oversight Board for the U.S-Belize Tropical Forest Conservation Act Debt for Nature Swap and represents Embassy San Jose in negotiations between Costa Rica and the United States over a Tropical Forest Conservation Act debt swap.
Encourage marine conservation. The Hub is working with NGO partners and Washington to develop a workshop on shark conversation linking the needs of the East Pacific Tropical Marine Corridor and APEC economies. The Hub also worked closely with NOAA Fisheries to identify opportunities for cooperation on sea turtle protection with fisheries authorities in the region and, in particular, Costa Rica.
Promote scientific cooperation. The Hub worked with NASA, NOAA, Department of Energy and other organizations studying the genesis of hurricanes, cloud composition, and vegetation composition in the region. The Hub also supported U.S. government delegations attending the June 2007 International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment in San Jose and organized visits by students and scientists to visiting marine research vessels.

In the Caribbean, the Hub has worked with existing mechanisms such as the Caribbean Environment Program (CEP) of the United Nations Environment Program, as well as with political/economic bodies such as CARICOM and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), to develop regional initiatives and to promote Caribbean and Central American cooperation.

Projects Concluded by the Hub