Colombia, a Positive Country

Prepared by:
Coordination of Internal and External
Communication Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

CLOSE UP

• COLOMBIAN IS FIRST FEMALE PILOT IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Martha Pabón, 29 years of age, was hired by Air Arabia, where very few women work in aviation. She piloted her first flight last Sunday on a commercial plane, in the emirate of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the UAE. She has flown over 5,000 flight hours and was employed by Air Arabia at the beginning as an assistant pilot, after flying with Colombian airlines. On another note, the first female Saudi graduated as a pilot on Wednesday from the Middle Eastern Academy for Commercial Aviation in Aman.

• SAFE ROADS ON VACATION: from now until July 19, the Government has activated 25 safe roads for vacationers traveling on the highways of Colombia during the midyear holiday season. These roads interconnect the country from Pasto to Cabo de la Vela, during a period of festivities in several regions, and guarantee the security and tranquility of vacationers on their journeys. The Police have made 65 thousand men available for the security measure. Between 2002 and 2005, the hotel sector reported the increase in their indicators: sales increased by 53% and employment, by 19.1%.

SOCIAL EQUALITY

• $2,1 BILLION IN HOUSING SUBSIDIES: this figure has allowed the financing of 225,602 housing solutions for Colombians with scarce economic resources in the country by means of subsidies and loans for housing of social interest granted between August 7, 2002 and June 8, 2005, and has proposed to finance 400 thousand social housing units during the four-year period. In addition, it has granted ownership of 20,725 properties in the country.

• 376 LOANS FOR NATIVES: Icetex opened a new call for applications to grant educational loans to finance higher education studies of 376 students belonging to the native communities of the country, with $1.75 million available. The loans will cover: enrollment, maintenance, utilities and graduation rights for the programs that require them. Application: www.icetex.gov.co or www.mininterior.gov.co, in the link “administration resources and select registration”. Hotline 01900 331377.

• FNA HOUSING PAYMENTS INCREASE BY 98%: the payment of mortgage loans from the Fondo Nacional del Ahorro [National Savings Fund], between January and May 2005, has increased in comparison with the same period last year. While in 2004 $43.15 million were laid out, this year, the figure has ascended to $85.51 million, and the number of loans paid out has increased by 90%, going from 1,487 in 2004 to 2,827 in 2005.

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT

• POSITIVE GOALS FOR 2005-2006: the Colombian economy will have a positive behavior due to the fact that the fiscal goals were met in 2004 and the achievement of the objectives that were planned for this year. This was revealed by the document “Marco Fiscal de Mediano Plazo 2005” [Medium-term Fiscal Framework for 2005] presented by the Treasury Department, which also points out that in the year 2005, the economy will increase by 4%, similar to the growth reported in 2004 of 4.12% without including illegal crops. If this is achieved, it will be the third year straight in which the Colombian economy increases over 4%, which is not enough to reduce the levels of poverty.

• AGRICULTURAL LOANS INCREASED BY 12.6%: this growth took place between January and May 2005 in loans granted for a total of $730 billion to agricultural producers in the country. The associative loan increased by 14.3% going from $102 billion between January and May 2004 to $116 billion during the same period in the year 2005, both for work capital as well as investment. For the lines of credit of work capital, $237 billion were laid out during the period analyzed. In the line of credit of financing for investment (long-term), $448 billion in loans were granted.

• FOOD DEMAND INCREASED BY 13.1%: the increase took place during the first five months of the year according to the main wholesale markets in the country, in comparison with the same period of 2005. The meat group had the largest increase, with a variation of 11.5%. the increase in the consumption of foods confirms the positive evolution in retail food sales, which have increased by 7.4% in nominal terms and 1.7% in real terms.

• AUTO PART INDUSTRY INCREASED BY 29%: the auto part industry in 2004 increased by 28.92% going from US $657.7 in 2003 to US $847.9 million last year, which was the result of an increase in imports as well as exports. This has been backed by the 22% growth of the sale of vehicles going from 93 thousand to 113 thousand units between 2003 and 2004, as well as the 3% increase in the trade of used vehicles. This industry provides approximately 4 million jobs, including direct, indirect and collateral employment.

STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY

• PROPANE GAS FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY: the Government revealed that it will implement a plan to extend the propane gas mass production program in the rural areas of the country, which it was developing in the Province of Cauca as a pilot plan. The initiative will benefit over 200 thousand peasant families that will each receive a kit consisting of a two-burner stove, with a hose and a regulator; one cylinder containing 33 pounds of liquefied gas and two additional vouchers to recharge the canisters twice. Each kit costs approximately $200 thousand, and each family will pay only $25 thousand. Altogether, the program has an approximate cost of $55 billion.

DEMOCRATIC SECURITY

• 356 THOUSAND HECTARES OF ILLEGAL CROPS HAVE BEEN FREED: $140 billion have been given to 32 thousand Ranger Families that have freed areas in 35 towns in 14 provinces from illegal crops, including areas of environmental importance in Putumayo, Guaviare, Nariño and Caquetá. The Families receive assistance and environmental, technical and social training, thanks to which they have strengthened their social and family ties and learn to cultivate their lands, create community funds and co-finance road and productive projects in their regions.

(FIN/JHINA/CIE)
June 17, 2005