COLOMBIA, A POSITIVE COUNTRY
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordinator
Internal and External Communications
Ministry of Foreign Relations
ON THE FRONT PAGE
• A CRUSADE TO SAVE THE WAX PALM was undertaken by the
Ministry of the Environment and the Botanical Garden of Bogotá,
to prevent its use in making decorative branches for celebrating
Easter week. The campaign, Get reconciled with Nature, seeks
to raise awareness on the protection of vulnerable plant species
such as the Quindio Wax Palm, the national tree and the only
habitat of the Yellow-eared Parrot, of which only 700 currently
survive. Colombia is the country richest in wax palm of the Ceroxylon
family, claiming 7 of the 11 species existing in the world. It
is found in primary Andes forests or cloud forests, situated
between 1,700 and 3,400 meters over sea level.
• COLOMBIA IS ADAPTING TO THE
CLIMATE CHANGE since the
Kyoto Protocol became completely effective last February 16,
which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The country will
set apart US $12.8 million in the short run for that purpose,
as announced by the Minister of the Environment, Housing, and
Territorial Development, Sandra Suárez Pérez. The
development of the pilot project for Integrated National Adaptation
(INAP for the initials in Spanish) is being executed with resources
donated by the World Fund for the Environment (GEF/World Bank),
in the amount of 270 thousand dollars. Later the project will
receive another donation from the GEF of US $4 million. The resources
will finance scientific studies.
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
• $14 BILLION HAVE BEEN INVESTED
IN THE RECONSTRUCTION of 107 Municipalities affected by terrorism in Colombia. The
government carried out 196 infrastructure works to rebuild infrastructure
destroyed by terrorist attacks. The Social Solidarity Network
is promoting works involving schools, high schools, theatres,
parks, plazas, children’s homes, health centers, cultural
centers, sporting fields, and community development centers.
The government’s goal was to serve 94 municipalities during
the four-year term. One hundred and fourteen percent of the goal
has been met.
MORE COLOMBIANS ACCESS THE INTERNET by means of the Compartel
program, which opens the doors to new information technologies
and improves income and quality of life. Five point two million
people will benefit from the program according to the Financial
Fund of Development Projects (Fonade), which in its three stages
will cover 100% of the municipalities of the country. The first
stage includes 670 urban points for towns with more than 8
thousand inhabitants. The second stage will cover 270 centers
for community access to the Internet for towns with more than
10 thousand inhabitants, and the third will install and operate
500 tele-centers in small towns.
7,301 AID PACKAGES FOR FAMILIES OF
VICTIMS OF TERRORISM, in
the amount of $84,787 million, were handed out by the national
government between August 7, 2002 and December 31, 2004, through
the Social Solidarity Network. Two hundred and eleven aid packages
at a value of $2,361 million were distributed in 2003, and 7,090
aid packages, at $82,426 million, have been distributed in 2004.
The Presidential Advisory Committee for Social Action explained
that each one of the packages consists in 42.29 legal minimum
salaries in effect during the year the package was distributed.
The goal is to benefit 15 thousand families during the four-year
term, which means the goal has been 49% met.
• US $30 MILLION FOR THE “PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM” was received by the national government through
a credit from the World Bank to finance the first stage of the
program, during 2004 and 2007, which seeks to avoid forced displacement,
and to promote alternative projects. Four hundred and fifty inhabitants
from 109 municipalities and 8 Departments are the target population
for an initiative in which public officials, private businesses,
and the local administration will participate, as a complement
to the funds of more than 30 million Euros assigned by the European
Union for the peace laboratories being developed in the country.
The US $30 million will be part of a second credit.
• LICENSES TO BUILD LOW-INCOME
HOUSING INCREASED BY 7.6% between November 2003 and the same
month in 2004, according to
the Dane. The applications for licenses for low-income housing
went from 2 million square meters to 2.2 million. The applications
for licenses to build houses increased between November 2003
and November 2004 by 21.5%, going from 1.4 to 1.7 million square
meters. Apartment construction fell 21.2% when it decreased from
1.5 to 1.4 million square meters.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT
• FONADE ANNOUNCED EARNINGS OF
$9.759 MILLION at the close of 2004, a result that reflects
the commercial dynamism of the
entity, its high levels of productivity, and the policies for
optimizing processes and resources. The institution will execute
a budget this year that is 2.5 times greater than the prior year.
According to the financial statements, the operating margin of
the Fund went from 19.6% in 2003 to 23.4% in 2004. Assets increased
to $643,687 million, which means a growth of $116,181 million,
equivalent to 22%, with respect to the assets held in 2003.
• COLOMBIAN ECONOMY WILL HAVE
GROWTH CLOSE TO 4% in 2005 announced the Bank of the Republic. According
to the entity,
the goal of 5% on average for the inflation rate will be met,
and this year the monetary policy will be loose and expansionary.
It said that this decision is compatible with meeting the goals
for inflation and growth. This means that the monetary policy
will supply a greater quantity of money to the economy, and at
lower interest rates, which will stimulate consumption by families
and investment by businesses.
• THE COLOMBIAN LANDSCAPE IS
STABLE, according to the
Standard & Poor rating for debt in Colombia. Its decision
was based on the persistent fiscal limitations, the armed conflict
in the country, and an improvement in liquidity and the external
debt position. S&P confirmed a rating of "BB" for
the country’s long-term obligations in foreign currency.
It held to a "BBB" for long-term debt in local currency,
and at "A3" for short-term debt in local currency.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• 400 NEW POLICEMEN FOR NARIÑO were announced by the Operative Department of the Colombian
Police, as a response
to the acts of violence that have taken place in recent days,
when 10 vehicles were burned, presumably by the FARC. The new
policemen will arrive in March. One hundred and fifty will form
a part of the Mobile Squad of Mounted Police, in charge of providing
greater security and control on the highway between Pasto and
Tumaco. Another 150 will join the Mobile Anti-riot Squad, and
the remaining 100 will be distributed among the different Police
stations in the Department, as needed.
STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY
• JAPAN SUPPORTS THE BUILDING
OF 6 NEW LIBRARIES, in which
it will invest $1,242 million. Through an agreement signed between
the Ministry of Culture and the Japanese Embassy in Colombia,
construction will be financed in Campo Hermoso, Corrales, and
El Espino in Boyacá, in Ebéjico and San Juan de
Urabá in Antioquia, and in Ubaté in Cundinamarca.
The international cooperation resources are in addition to the
$3,573 million donated by the government of Japan in 2004, with
which the construction of 18 libraries was financed, 15 of which
have already been completed. The 6 new libraries benefit close
to 100,000 Colombians, and it is hoped they will reach 500 municipalities.
• BUCARAMANGA AIRPORT RECEIVED
ISO 14.001 CERTIFICATION for the good service it provides in
ground operations for loading
and unloading passengers and cargo. The quality certification
will be reflected in the reduction of risks for air terminal
users and in a decrease in operation costs for the companies.
The ISO standards refer to the environmental management system
to be developed by companies to provide better services. The
quality certification was awarded by the company BVQI Colombia
Ltda.
• 627 MAYOR’S OFFICES ARE
TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET within the framework of the
Connectivity Agenda, which
has the goal of acquiring computer equipment and software in
order to favor the technological development of local administrations,
with funds of $4,814 million. To guarantee the transparency of
the awarding of the bid, a modern electronic system to auction
to the low bidder has been set up, a process supervised by Fonade.
The mechanism allows buyers and suppliers to connect in virtual
chat rooms on the Internet, thanks to which the prices tend to
be close to the real market price.
(FIN/JHINA/CIE)
February 18, 2005
