| COLOMBIA,
A POSITIVE COUNTRY
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordinator
Internal and External Communications
Ministry of Foreign Relations
ON THE FRONT PAGE
• NATIONAL PEACE PRIZE IN CAQUETÁ: the peasants
in Remolinos del Caguán are proud of themselves. A cooperative
that promotes cacao cultivation as a substitute for cocaine cultivation,
and the indigenous guard, whose weapons are wooden staffs, received
the National Peace Prize. Thanks to that award, their message
of peace has served as an example for the entire country. Differences
are resolved in this community by dialogue and the strength of
all members, without seeking to defeat the other guy, but recognizing
his rights and his dignity. The Cacao growing cooperative is
made up of 58 peasant families who are now dedicated to producing
chocolate.
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
• FIRM COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN: during the course of the
current administration the national government has delivered
more than 96 million breakfasts to 503,000 poor children of the
country, with an investment reaching $66,553 million. This initiative
has reached 601 towns, and functions at 2,600 sites across Colombian
territory. To lower the levels of chronic malnutrition, to complement
the nutritional level of the most vulnerable children, and to
reduce other problems directly related to malnutrition are some
of the objectives of the Children’s Breakfast Program.
Breakfast is given for free. Any type of commercialization or
electoral use made of the program can be denounced by calling
018000918080 at the ICBF.
•
DECONTAMINATION OF THE BOGOTÁ RIVER: the National Council
of Economic and Social Policy (Conpes) approved a strategy
for recovering the Bogotá River, with an investment
plan of more than $5.7 trillion Colombian pesos that will last
until the year 2020. Of that amount, to date, resources of
$3.1 trillion are ascertained, with a remainder of $2.6 trillion
still lacking, which will be appropriated as other financing
sources are gradually identified throughout the execution of
the project. The plan includes 3 phases in which a group of
environmental, territorial, and administrative policies and
actions are defined. The first stage will be executed between
2004 and 2008, and the second will last until 2013. The final
phase will conclude in 2020. Project execution will be evaluated
every six months.
• MORE FOREST RANGER FAMILIES: the Families in Action
Program, part of Plan Colombia, will involve nine thousand new
families in the month of December, joining the 21 thousand families
already benefiting from the initiative. Next year the national
government will invest resources in an amount greater than $180
billion pesos in the economic support of these families. Those
involved in the Program are inhabitants of Nariño, Caquetá,
Putumayo, Huila, Boyacá, Antioquia and Norte de Santander.
The United Nations will carry out verification of the Families
in Action Program under Plan Colombia.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT
• ELECTRICAL STRENGTHENING AND
GROWTH: in the last two
years the Colombian electrical sector has experienced a recovery.
While in 2002 the electrical companies’ losses were more
than $300 billion, today their earnings are over $520 billion
pesos and no company is experiencing interventions by the Service
Superintendence. Specifically, in the last two years the income
of this group of businesses grew by 35%, personnel was reduced
by 15% and sales productivity per employee increased from $414
million in 2002 to $585 million this year. In the same way, users
per employee increased by an average of 515 in 2002, to 570.
• EXPORTATIONS INCREASING: in the
first nine months of this year, Colombian exports grew by 22.2%
with respect to the
same period in 2003. They grew from US$9,705 million from January
to September of 2003, to US$11,864 million in the same time period
in 2004. Non-traditional exports grew by 23.2%, while traditional
exports grew by 21.1% as a consequence of higher prices for oil
and oil derivatives. The United States continues to be the main
market for Colombian products, receiving 40% of all Colombian
exports, estimated at US$4,779 million.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• COLLECTIVE DEMOBILIZATION OF
THE AUC: a total of 47 members of the Self Defense Groups of
the South of Magdalena
and the Island of San Fernando demobilized and began a process
of reincorporation into civilian life. Representatives of the
national government, the departmental government, and the OAS
mission attended this demobilization act that took place in the
village of Santa Rosa, in the south of Magdalena. The dismantling
of this group is part of a timeline for collective demobilizations
in 2004 revealed by the government and the AUC last November
3, which includes the handing over of weapons and the reincorporation
into civilian life of at least three thousand men from that illegal
armed group before the end of this current year.
STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY
• SAVINGS FOR THE STATE: reforms in public administration
helped the State to cut losses by 1,307,000,000 Colombian pesos.
In the case of the Social Security Institute, changes in labor
legislation enabled it to cut losses by $536 billion. The shut
down of four institutions in the agricultural sector (DRI, Inpa,
Inat and Incora), saved operating costs of more than $60,500
million, and the disappearance of Inurbe saved $16.552 million.
In the same way, with the liquidation of Telecom, Inravisión
and Audiovisuales, among others, the government saved $553 billion.
• OPERATING COSTS REDUCED: in a single year, from September
2003 to September 2004, the operating costs of the national government – excluding
the Defense sector – have been reduced by 16%. More specifically,
during this time period the decrease in the operating costs of
the industrial and commercial undertakings of the State is 25.6%.
By Ministries, the one that has most reduced its costs is Agriculture,
with a decrease of 13%; followed by Foreign Relations with a
9% reduction, and Social Protection with a decrease of 7% in
expenditures. Other significant reductions have been obtained
by the National Registry (62.2%), the National Department of
Planning (10%), the Comptroller General (3.9%) and the Procurator’s
Office (0.8%).
• SUCCESSFUL RESTRUCTURING: thanks to a restructuring
agreement promoted by the national government, the iron foundry
Acerías Paz del Río obtained earnings of $150 billion
pesos between 2003 and 2004 to date. In the agreement signed
in July 2003, workers made the commitment to freeze salaries
for 18 months, and receive salary adjustments, starting in 2005
and until the end of the agreement, equivalent to the CPI. They
also accepted a reduction in their seniority bonus and the suspension
of their Christmas bonus for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005. On
their part, the shareholders agreed to not distribute earnings
and to adopt a conduct code that included: an independent board
of directors, transparency in the contract process, and greater
professionalism in administration. Meanwhile, the company promised
to pay the restructured obligations, as well as to move ahead
on a process of industrial reconversion.
• MUISCA REDUCES TIME FOR PAPERWORK: thanks to the Unique Model for Automated Income, Services,
and Control System (Muisca)
the paperwork for foreign commerce, imports and exports, that
in 2002 took 72 hours, can today be processed in 14 hours. This
reduction represents a decrease of 5% in production costs for
business owners. Specifically, the information report for foreign
commerce that previously required 6 months is now immediate.
In the same way, three systems were combined into one in customs.
The Customs Administration System was expanded for the operation
of foreign commerce. As far as the simplification of forms, the
form for reporting income for individuals went from 120 lines
to 83. Import forms reduced 167 lines to 104, while those for
exports went from 197 to 112.
(FIN/PCO/CIE)
December 10, 2004
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