Panama City, May 9, 2012 - The Republic of Panama presented, as successful examples of South-South Cooperation experiences, the shellfish seed production and sea crops project and the Inter-American Judicial Facilitators Exchange Program to experts from all over the region.

The shellfish seed production and sea crops project originated within the framework of the General Agreement on Scientific and Technical Collaboration with Mexico through the transfer of technology of the Northeast Biological Research Center of Mexico towards the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP, for its acronym in Spanish).

This cooperation has enabled Panama to consolidate the capacity to produce and harvest shellfish seeds in order to provide sources of income for coastal populations, to readjust potential sites for sea crops, to acquire laboratory equipment for shellfish, to recover the scallop as fishing resource and to advise artisanal fishermen.

In turn, the Inter-American Judicial Facilitators Program, between the Judicial Branch and the Organization of American States (OAS) provides communities with direct and accessible civic and legal information, promoting a culture of peace and peaceful coexistence.

This program aims to resolve conflicts using citizen participation in order to reduce levels of social conflict and improve the efficiency of the Judicial Branch, thereby reducing the excessive workload of the first level courts, expediting procedures, and improving the quality of the resolutions and the relationship between justice officials and citizens.

During the presentation, the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama and the Judicial Branch emphasized the willingness of Panama, as recipient of cooperation and of exchanging learning and best practices with countries of the region as a regional human development center.

The General Director of Special Projects and Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Maria Celia Dopeso, reiterated the importance that Panama places on international cooperation as a tool to support the national development agenda and the added value that South-South Cooperation represents.