CABEI and WB representatives define opportunities for blue growth in SICA countries

Tegucigalpa, August 2nd, 2022.- In follow-up to the actions of the 2015-2025 Fishing and Aquaculture Integration Policy - SICA Portal and in order to unify efforts for the planning and strategic vision of the marine and fishing sector of the Gulf of Fonseca, the Regional Projects, and Project Formulation teams of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), and Natural Resources, Environment and Blue Economy of the World Bank (WB), held a meeting.

"The Bank's participation in this initiative responds to an integrationist mandate, joining the planning and strategic vision of the region's marine and fishing sector, which will serve as a guide for financing initiatives in the short, medium and long term with investment projects that support blue growth in the region," mentioned CABEI's Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi.

The actions to be implemented jointly are linked to the implementation of the Regional Strategy for Blue Growth in the SICA countries (ERCA), with the purpose of promoting the addition of value in the region's blue economy through the promotion and creation of employment, as well as the positioning of the countries in terms of sustainable development in marine-coastal areas.

In the area of the Gulf of Fonseca the countries Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua converge, which is known for its great natural wealth with a diverse marine fauna; mangroves, salt forest, estuaries, marshes, swamps, among others.

It is home to numerous low-income communities that depend on the goods and services provided by the coastal marine ecosystem, most of which are vulnerable due to their exposure to natural disasters.