The document provides background information on the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Program. It summarizes that in 2005, the CAFTA-DR countries signed an agreement to cooperate on environmental protection and sustainable development. Since then, over $87 million has been invested in activities across four program areas: institutional strengthening, biodiversity conservation, market-based conservation, and private sector performance. The Organization of American States assists with monitoring and evaluation to ensure progress on long-term goals. A communications strategy is presented to effectively engage stakeholders and demonstrate the program's success through media outreach, website updates, and increasing public participation.

1. Environmental Cooperation Program
CAFTA-DRCAFTA-DR
Communication Strategy DraftCommunication Strategy Draft
December 2014
Prepared by the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization
of American States (OAS/DSD)
December 2014
Prepared by the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization
of American States (OAS/DSD)

2. On February 18th, 2005, the CAFTA-DR countries (Costa Rica, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States)
signed an Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA), in which they acknowl-
edged that economic development, social development and environmental protec-
tion are interdependent, mutually-reinforcing factors in achieving sustainable
development for the benefit of present and future generations.
The CAFTA-DR countries also came to an
understanding that the objective of the
ECA was to “establish a framework for
cooperation among the Parties.” The ECA
builds on previous environmental capacity
building efforts in the region. Among its
innovative features, the ECA includes
provisions for establishing benchmarks to
identify short-, medium-, and long-term
goals for improving environmental protec-
tion in the region.
Since 2005, approximately US$ 87.2
million has been invested to fund environ-
mental cooperation activities. This funding
is helping CAFTA-DR countries to achieve
the following long-term goals:
• Compliance with CAFTA-DR Environ
ment Chapter (Chapter 17) obligations:
- To ensure that CAFTA-DR ECA
Parties’ environmental laws and
policies provide for and encourage
high levels of environmental protec-
tion;
Program Background
- To effectively enforce their envi-
ronmental laws;
- To ensure that judicial, quasi-ju
dicial, or administrative
proceedings are available
to sanction or remedy violations
of environmental laws;
• Improved protection and conservation of
the environment, including natural
resources;
• Transparency and public participation in
environmental decision-making; and
• An improved culture of environmental
protection and compliance with environ
mental laws through, among other things,
the promotion of economic opportunities,
voluntary measures to enhance environ
mental performance, and job creation.

3. To support progress in these areas, the ECA
(Article IV) requires that the Environmental
Cooperation Commission (ECC), in addition
to establishing priorities for cooperative
activities, be responsible for examining and
evaluating the cooperative activities under the
Agreement. The ECA highlights as well that as
the Commission periodically examines and
evaluates cooperative programs, projects and
activities, it shall seek and consider input from
relevant international organizations and other
relevant stakeholders, regarding how best to
ensure progress through monitoring progress,
and to comply with other commitments of the
agreement, including establishing benchmarks
or other types of performance measures to
assist the ECC in its ability to examine and
evaluate the progress of specific cooperative
programs, projects and activities in meeting
their intended goals; and to maintain proce-
dural mechanism for the enforcement of
environment laws.
The Organization of American States through
its Department of Sustainable Development
(OAS-DSD) is assisting the ECC of the
CAFTA-DR in evaluating if and how the
activities carried out by the countries in the
region are contributing towards the achieve-
ment of the priorities established by the
parties. For this purpose, OAS-DSD has
worked with stakeholders in developing an
evaluation process based on key performance
indicators. The OAS-DSD has prepared four
independent evaluation reports to provide a
general overview of the CAFTA-DR Environ-
mental Cooperation Program (ECP), including
success stories, case studies, challenges and
recommendations witnessed from the begin-
ning of the implementation of the Program,
with a view to improve future environmental
cooperation programming. The OAS-DSD is
uniquely suited to continue conducting the
monitoring and evaluation activities, and
establish a communications and outreach
strategy supportive of effective environmental
governance in the CAFTA-DR region.
The CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation
Program carries out numerous activities
reaching thousands of people across broad
and varied geographical and social spec-
trums. It emphasizes capacity building, devel-
opment of voluntary mechanisms (such as
partnerships, market-based initiatives and
economic incentives), adoption of best practic-
es and exchange of information.
Environmental protection involves the joint
efforts of government and civil society, includ-
ing non-governmental organizations, the
private sector and the general public. All of
these sectors are involved in the CAFTA-DR
Environmental Cooperation Program and
concentrate on four
programmatic areas:
Program Background
A) Institutional Strengthening
B) Biodiversity & Conservation
C) Market-Based Conservation
D) Private Sector Environmental Performance

4. A
Institutional Strengthening
for Effective Implementation
and Enforcement of
Environmental Law
- Strengthening each Party’s environmental management
systems, including reinforcing institutional and legal frameworks
and the capacity to develop, implement, administer and enforce
environmental laws, regulations, standards and policies
- Exchanging information on domestic implementation
of multilateral environmental agreements that all the
Parties have ratified
- Promoting best practices leading to sustainable
management of the environment
B
Biodiversity and Conservation
- Fostering partnerships to address current or emerging
conservation and management issues, including
personnel training and capacity building
- Conserving and managing shared, migratory, and endangered
species in international commercial trade and management of
marine and terrestrial parks and other protected areas
The success of the environmental cooperation depends on the ability of the Parties to
successfully execute specific activities with measurable results within the ECA and its
priorities using two modalities of cooperation: regional and bilateral. In particular, it
depends on their ability to advance in the achievement of their long-term environmental
goals in the four programmatic areas that have been established pursuant to ECA priori-
ties (article V):
Programmatic Areas
C
Market Based Conservation
- Developing and promoting incentives and other flexible and
voluntary mechanisms in order to encourage environmental
protection, including the development of market-based initiatives
and economic incentives for environmental management
- Developing and promoting environmentally beneficial
goods and services
D
Improved Private Sector
Environmental Performance
- Developing and promoting incentives and other flexible and
voluntary mechanisms in order to encourage environmental
protection, including the development of market-based initiatives
and economic incentives for environmental management
- Facilitating technology development and transfer and training to
promote the use, proper operation and maintenance of clean
production technologies

5. Communications Strategy
The CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Program
Communication and Outreach Strategy serves as a
guiding document to set out a clear framework for the
effective implementation of communication and dissemi-
nation activities. As the Program continues being execut-
ed, the Strategy will be reviewed periodically to contrib-
ute to the achievement of the long-term goals set out by
the Parties.
This planning takes teamwork, internal collaboration
and sharing, as well as continuous improvement. Doing
this effectively will lead to coordination of activities, allow
for adept reaction and response to current events,
produce results, and maximize outcomes.
This communication strategy will help us:
• engage effectively with stakeholders
• demonstrate the success of our work
• ensure people understand what we do
• achieve our overall objectives
• change behaviour and perceptions
where necessary
The design and implementation of the strategy will focus
on raising awareness about the main goals of the
cooperation activities with the aim of increasing and
strengthening a critical mass in the region necessary to
protect, conserve and improve the environment to
advance sustainable development for the benefit of
present and future generations.
Timeline
Messages
Action Plan
SWOT Analysis
Audience
Visual Identity
Outreach Plan Elements

6. STRENGHTS
• Existing and powerful
network of contacts
• Successful implementation
of projects
• Media attention
• Relevant stakeholders involved
• Experience in
organization of activities
OPPORTUNITIES
• Wide range of potential partners
• Technology can work in our favor
• Online presence
• Meeting the needs of a new
target audience
• Existing indexes that reveal
accurate information
WEAKNESSES
• Bureaucracy
• Limited capacity to respond
• Poorly defined operating
procedures
• Existence of multiple and
scattered efforts in
communications and outreach
THREATS
• FTAs have many detractors
• Reduced digital presence of
the Environmental Chapter
• Limited budget
to implement the strategy
SWOT Analysis

7. Action Plan
Increase in dissemination of activities and results
from the Environmental Cooperation Program
GOAL 1
• Produce targeted
media and
multimedia products
• Create press r
releases, informative
bulletins, interviews
and articles
• Create computer
animation graphic
image files and data
presentations
• Implement Social
Media Channels
and dispense related
content to online
targeted audience
• Prezi presentations
• Distribution lists
• Infographics
• Reports from
implementers
• Interviews
• General footage
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• Vimeo
• Website
• MailChimp
• Google Analytics
• Social Media Reach
• Number of materials
produced
• Generate periodic
electronic bulletins
• Number of visits to
the website
• Number of views
• Expanding our
presence in
conferences, work
shops, websites
belonging to other
Initiatives or
companies that
are pursuing similar
objectives to ours
Tactics Tools Evaluation

8. Action Plan
Increase of website engagementGOAL 2
• Develop new coding
for the CAFTA-DR
website to
make it more attrac-
tive, transparent and
navigable
• Utilize web optimiza-
tion techniques with
the aim of increasing
our web presence
• Update the website
with timely and rele-
vant content
• Adapt for mobile
devices navigation
• Attract traffic from
social networks
• Make publications
available online in
PDF format
• Wordpress
• SEO
• Java
• Google Analytics
• Hootsuite
• Multimedia
content
• Updated
communication
materials
• Indexed pages
and keywords
• Blog
• Organic search
• Daily visits
• Mobile traffic
rate
• Data Collection
and Management
• Cross-device and
cross-platform
measurement
• Audience
Characteristics
and Behavior
• Trace customer
path
• Top landing
pages
Tactics Tools Evaluation

9. Action Plan
Increase in public participationGOAL 3
• Create communi-
cation bridges
between citizens
and governments
• Better present the
submissions
mechanism
• Promote that citizens
are able to partici-
pate in the processes
of the application of
environmental
legislation
• Enforce the law
• Share experiences
and lessons learned
• Cooperate to protect,
improve and conserve
the environment
• Webinars
• Capacity Building
• Training Sessions
• Online trainings
• Offline demo
recordings
• Social networks
• Multimedia
products
• Promotion of
awareness
activities
• Developing out
reach activities
with governments
• Training assistance
• Webinar participants
• Recording views
• Number of questions
answered
• Number of citizens
that participate
in activities
• Number of
submissions
received
Tactics Tools Evaluation

10. Messages
These messages simply define the CAFTA-DR
Environmental Cooperation Agreement. They
have to function as a guiding principle for all
kinds of communications, (content of leaflets,
brochures, website,etc). This also applies to
media interviews or conversations held with
stakeholders.
To effectively promote the key messages, it is
recommendable to constantly include these
themes through every communication cam-
paign. For example key messages should
always be included in our promotional
materials such as infographics or flyers.
Environmental Cooperation Program
CAFTA-DRCAFTA-DR
for a better future
The CAFTA-DR countries
cooperate to protect, con-
serve and improve the envi-
ronment to advance the goal
of sustainable development
for the benefit of present
and future generations.
Encouraging high levels of
environmental protection.
Enhancing sustainable use of biodiversity
and natural resources
Accountability in decision making
Creating a culture of environmental protec-
tion and compliance with environmental laws.

11. Audience
Implementing
agencies
Coordinating
agencies
Government
agencies
Points Of
Contact
Civil Society
Academia
Beneficiaries
Private Sector
Media
International
organizations
Public Sector
Community
Organizations

12. 2015
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
IMPLEMENTATION
EVENT’S MEDIA
COVERAGE
C
A
M
P
A
I
N
G
S
SOCIAL MEDIA
NEW WEBSITE
PROMOTIONAL
VIDEO
E-BULLETIN
MEDIA KIT
EVALUATION
Timeline
The OAS-DSD will make all the efforts to attend and gather relevant information on progress of the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Program for communication and
dissemination purposes from scheduled meetings and events organized by DOS/OES or implementing agencies provided that there is sufficient notice and within the limits
of the budget submitted to the Department of State.

13. Environmental Cooperation
CAFTA-DR
Environmental Cooperation
CAFTA-DRCAFTA-DR
Environmental Cooperation
CAFTA-DRCAFTA-DR
Avenir Book
Helvetica
C: 51%
M: 7%
Y: 100%
K: 0%
C: 37%
M: 8%
Y: 64%
K: 0%
C: 95%
M: 72%
Y: 34%
K: 19%
C: 47%
M: 21%
Y: 0%
K: 0%
C: 64%
M: 28%
Y: 100%
K: 11%
Visual Identity