COLOMBIA,
A POSITIVE COUNTRY
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordination
Internal and External Communiations
Mimistry of Foreign Affairs
OVERVIEW
• CORPOICA,
COMMITMENT WITH THE COUNTRY: the Corporación
Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica), received
the 2004 Agriculture National Award, which acknowledges its contribution
to the integral development of the agricultural sector. This
award was created by the Ministry of Agriculture as an incentive
for both, individuals and legal entities who contribute to the
integrated development of the Colombian agricultural sector,
in scientific, technological, academic, productive or entrepreneurial
areas. The Sociedad de Agricultores de Colombia, SAC (Colombian
Agricultural Society) was in charge of selecting the entity,
and it highlighted the fact that during its 10-year existence,
Corpoica, a mixed capital agency, has played an outstanding role
regarding scientific research and technological development.
• HEALTH EDICT: The Colombianl
Government, through Icetex, allocated resources amounting to
$12.218 million pesos to continue
granting credit-scholarships to students from all over the country
to carry on specializations in health clinical areas. These resources
are additional to the $3,232 million pesos already allocated
this year, which adds up to a total of $15,450 million pesos
invested in this program. The credit-scholarships consist in
paying out two monthly legal minimum wages ($716,000 in 2004)
for each month of specialization, an amount which could be condoned,
upon compliance with the requirements established by Icetex.
SOCIAL EQUITY
• EDUCATION
RESOURCES FOR A VULNERABLE POPULATION: The
National Government has a coaching program in place for vulnerable
populations, identifying youngsters who have an intellectual
capacity and exceptional skills, but whose academic development
is affected by phenomena such as displacement because of violence
and lack of economic resources. Through this coaching, since
year 2000, a total of 555 subsidies have been allocated, equivalent
to $886 million pesos. This contribution is granted by the Ministry
of Education and it ranges between 20 and 80% depending on the
cost at the schools where the studies are carried out as well
as other situations related to the beneficiary’s surroundings.
• VIS FOR
SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS: The Ministry of Environment,
Housing and Territorial Development, announced the allocation
of 7,269 housing subsidies for $53.305 million pesos in 108 municipalities,
an aid that will benefit 7,269 independent and informal families,
whose income does not exceed two minimum wages, that is, $716.000.
For applying to the individual subsidy, the candidate’s
family must be comprised by one or two people and not own or
posses a house, except if the subsidy requested is for housing
improvement or construction on their own land. In addition, the
National Government through the Territorial Effort Bidding has
allocated $2.953 million pesos for 396 new housing subsidies.
• STRATEGY
AGAINST ETS: reducing vulnerability regarding
sexual-transmission infections among 600 thousand teenagers and
youngsters all over the country, is the main goal of the Plan
Intersectorial de Respuesta Nacional al VIH – SIDA 2004 – 2007
(VIH - AIDS National Response Cross-sectoral Plan 2004 - 2007),
presented by the National Government. This initiative, where
$533.633 million pesos will be invested through 2007, will become
the navigation chart during the next four years in this area,
involving the different players of the Health Social Security
General System and all other National agencies that have any
reated responsibility. To such end, actions will be taken to
strengthen the health sector and the education community in the
municipalities, with the sole purpose of improving services rendered
in the area of sexual and reproductive youth health.
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATION
• SUBSIDIES
FOR VIS: The Ministry
of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development implemented
a strategy directed to
support families that expect to benefit from all VIS subsidies
offered by the National Government through the ordinary pool.
The 21 real estate and credit showcases that started taking place
this month countrywide, are aimed at completing the total housing
funding for 18.595 homes that have been pre-selected for obtaining
14,785 subsidies. These showcases are coordinated by the Ministry
in association with family welfare agencies, with the participation
of cooperatives, mortgage banks and social interest housing construction
companies. The main purpose is that families have a single point
to gather information regarding housing and credit possibilities.
• EXPORTS TO VENEZUELA ARE GROWING: during this year first 5
months, Colombian exports to Venezuela increased 119,4% vis-a-vis
the same period in 2003, from US$205 to US$450 million. The
most dynamic export products were vehicles and parts, chemical
products, livestock, plastic materials, and textile and clothes.
The growth in May reached 127%, with sales that went from US$45
million in 2003 to US$102 in the same month in 2004.
• FEASIBLE
ELECTRIC INTERCONNECTION WITH PANAMA: the electric
interconnection between Colombia and Panama is feasible and there
is no negative environmental impact, concluded the alternative
environmental diagnosis performed by Interconexión Eléctrica
S.A. (ISA) and its counterpart in Panama, Empresa de Transmisión
Eléctrica S.A. (Etesa). The study took into account different
environmental susceptibilities and regulations in force in each
country. According to the study, the alternatives would have
an extension between 500 and 600 kilometers and the costs, depending
on the project, will range between US$172 and US$221 million.
The work will connect the Cerromatoso substation, in the department
of Cordoba, Colombia, and the Panama II substation, for which
there would be a power transportation capacity of 300 MW in the
direction Colombia - Panama and 200 MW in the opposite direction.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• ARMS ABANDONMENT: In August, voluntarily and individually,
116 members of the illegal armed groups have demobilized, for
a total of 1.760 deserting in 2004. In August, the illegal armed
group, FARC, has been the one with more desertions, since 68
of its members have joined the National Government Reincorporation
to Civil Life Program. Forty AUC members have joined the program
, as well as 8 from ELN. The military forces and police have
received in their units 101 members from violent groups, followed
by DAS with 5 cases, the People’s Ombudsman 3, the Prosecutor’s
Office , the Church and ICBF 2 cases each and the Legal Personality
Office, 1 case.
• PROFESSIONALIZATIN
AND SPECIALIZATION OF PEOPLE IN UNIFORM: twenty three officials, between officers and sergeant major from
the Military Criminal Justice traveled to Sweden to participate,
until September 3, in a seminar on ‘Human Rights and Conflict
Resolution’. The seminar will be held at the Lund University
Raoul Wallengberg Institute and at the Uppsala University. Attendance
to this event is possible through the support of the Swedish
Embassy in Colombia and the Swedish International Cooperation
Agency for Development. The military criminal justice officials
will, in addition, be teachers in Public Force training schools.
EFFICIENCY AND STATE TRANSPARENCY
• MODERNIZATION
OF ESTATE PROPERTIES: the Instituto Geográfico
Agustín Codazzi (IGAC) updated during this first semester
the value of 532,580 estate properties in 105 municipalities
in different departments of Colombia. As of today, Colombia has
11 million 930 thousand 107 estate properties, 8 million 588
thousand 831 of which are city property, and 3 million 341 thousand
276 are rural property. Of almost 12 million estate properties
in all the country, 54,07% are outdated and 44,49% have their
cadastre values in order. The Agustin Codazzi Institute specifically
handles information of approximately 7 million 946 thousand 408
estate properties countrywide, 32,14% of which are updated (3
million estate properties) and 58,12% are outdated (4,6 million
estate property).
• NAPOLES,
OWNED BY THE STATE: The Antioquia Supreme Court revealed the definite sentence
of property termination in favor
of the Colombian State on the Napoles Property owned by the deceased
drug dealer Pablo Escobar Gaviria. The farm is a property valued
in $5 billion pesos, located in the Puerto Triunfo municipality,
Antioquia, covering a total area of 876 hectares. Likewise, the
private airport, located at the farm, was given in custody for
its use to the Puerto Triunfo municipality administration. The
Narcotics National Council is the entity in charge of evaluating
and making decisions on the future of the farm, now part of the
Colombian State inventory.
(FIN/PCO/HM/CIE)
20 August 2004
