Colombia, A Positive Country
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordinator
Internal and External Communications
Ministry of Foreign Relations
ON THE FRONT PAGE
• LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR WOMEN INCREASED
TO 75.1 YEARS: progress
made in favor of Colombian women also includes greater possibilities
for access to education, the labor market, and decision-making,
according to a report by the Presidential Council for Women’s
Equality. Between January and December of 2004, 354,135 homes
received nutrition and education subsidies as part of the Families
in Action program - 94.32% of the beneficiaries were families
with female heads of household - 19,081 young people signed up
for the Jóvenes en Acción (Young People in Action)
program –13,157 of them were female – and the program
for Protection of the Older Adult benefited 138,836 poor elderly
people - 80,491 of them women.
• COLOMBIA WILL PROVIDE CONSULTATION
TO PARAGUAY ON TERRORISM: the Presidents of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Velez, and Paraguay,
Nicanor Duarte, agreed during the official visit made by the
Paraguayan President to Colombia last March 7 that the Armed
Forces of our country would advise the Paraguayan Armed Forces
on intelligence, judicial investigation, and operative combat
against criminal groups, to strengthen the fight against terrorism.
The Presidents agreed to outline an action plan that will be
perfected by the Vice Presidents of both countries, in order
to facilitate quick information exchange. Plans will also be
formulated for Colombian specialists to train Paraguayan personnel.
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
• FIRST HOMES READY FOR VICTIMS
IN CARTAGENA: with funds
raised by the Colombiatón (Colombiathon), construction
will begin of 500 homes for last year’s flood victims in
Cartagena on April 15. According to the government a lot where
the homes are to be located has already been purchased for $2
billion Colombian pesos, of which 700 million will be provided
by the Colombiatón and 1,300 million by the beneficiaries,
who will be responsible for paying around 50 thousand pesos monthly,
on average. Colombiatón has raised close to $6 billion
pesos in cash, and around $4 billion in donations, needing another
four billion in order to build a second phase of housing.
• MORE THAN TWO MILLION HEALTH
SUBSIDIES: subsidized health has grown by 4,809,185 new affiliates
since August 2002, and
in 2005 the national government will grant 2,400,000 additional
subsidies. One point four million subsidies will be total subsidies,
and 1 million will be partial. These last ones will cover traumatology,
orthopediatrics, comprehensive attention to pregnant women, the
first year of life of a baby, basic medicines, and high cost
illnesses such as cancer and HIV-AIDS infections. Coverage has
grown from 10,744,289 beneficiaries in August 2002, to 15,553,474
in February 2005. The goal for the four-year presidential term
is 5.9 million people.
• AGRARIAN REFORM AND IRRIGATION
DISTRICTS FOR CASANARE: more than 24 thousand hectares of land to 328 families and three
irrigation districts in benefit of another 127 families were
handed over by the national government in the Department of Casanare.
In the first case, the families benefiting from the agrarian
reform programs live in the municipalities of Villanueva, Monterrey,
Tauramena, and Pozo Azul, among others. The small-scale irrigation
districts are in Caracolí, El Horquetón and El
Triunfo, and will carry water to 130 planted hectares.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT
• ISA EARNED $140,015 MILLION
IN 2004: the earnings for
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. (ISA) reflects a growth
of 72% in the net profit for the company with respect to results
for 2003, when it obtained $81,453 million. According to the
report, earnings from operations were $370,801 million, representing
a growth of 14% with respect to the prior year. The results were
the product of an 8% increase in income, especially from related
services and the optimization of costs and expenses, which increased
only 3%. Factors such as lower accounts receivable and less pension
owed contributed to the good results, as well as the increased
value of the peso, and fewer attacks on the electrical infrastructure.
• TWO MORE PORT TERMINALS FOR
THE PACIFIC: the construction
of the new terminals in Tribugá and Málaga are
defined in the national government’s Conpes document on
port policies. According to the Ministry of Transportation, the
projects, whose designs are being developed, are going to improve
the country’s ability to compete and attract foreign investment,
especially from Asia. The Ministry also developed the definitions
for the construction of the double-lane highway from Buga to
Buenaventura, on which work will begin in the second semester
of this year.
• IN 2004 IMPORTS GREW BY 20.6%: the Dane reported that importations went from US $13,880 million
to US $16,744 million
from 2003 to 2004. Imports of raw materials and intermediate
products grew by 25%, imports for industry by 25.6%, and imports
of consumer goods increased by 18.3%. The United States was the
source for US $4,554 million of the imports, making it the main
country to supply products. From the European Union US $2,129
million worth of products arrived, versus U$2,023 million in
2003. From the Andean Community, the increase was seen most in
Venezuela, going from US $688 million to US $1,030 million. The
second greatest source of imports from the Andean region was
Ecuador in the amount of US $395.9 million.
• COLOMBIA EXPORTED US $16,483
MILLION IN 2004: exports
from Colombia in 2004 reached the highest level since 1916, at
US $16,483 million, a figure that represents a growth of 25.9%
with respect to exports in 2003. The growth in non-traditional
exports was more than US $1,800 million, 25.8% over 2003, going
from US $7,065 million to US $8,887 million. Traditional exports – coffee,
oil, coal, and ferronickel grew by 26% over the figure for 2003.
More than half of all the exports of traditional products were
shipped to the United States, and another 20% to countries in
the European Union.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• $60 BILLION FOR REBUILDING
MUNICIPALITIES: between August 2002 and now, the national government has invested
more than
$60 billion pesos on rebuilding housing, social infrastructure,
and community action works in municipalities attacked by violent
groups. According to the Presidential Council for Social Action,
this investment has permitted the completion of 6,351 works and
homes, as well as the generation of 8,012 direct jobs. The program
met its housing reconstruction goal at 104%.
STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY
• AEROCIVIL HAD EARNINGS OF $80
BILLION IN 2004: these results were observed on the administrative
side during the most
recent period, and progress was also made in air navigation services
such as radar coverage, to be completed this year, and in infrastructure,
where the 70 airports of the country are at full operational
capacity and resources are being invested in the upgrading of
17 runways, 6 platforms, and various terminals. The goal is for
the airports in the capitals to be able to operate at night before
the end of 2005. Eldorado reduced weather-induced airport closures
by 50% by the use of air navigations aids.
• PROFITS AT ECOPETROL: the financial results of the state-owned
oil company allowed it to transfer $6.39 trillion pesos to the
nation in the form of royalties, dividends, global taxes, income
tax, and sales tax, a figure 13% higher than the $5.65 trillion
transferred in 2003. In turn, exports (in terms of value) totaled
$2,110 million dollars, representing an increase of 27% relative
to the value in 2003, while in volume the increase was 6.6%,
going from 58.9 million barrels in 2003 to 62.8 million barrels
in 2004. The company’s assets closed 2004 at $28 trillion
pesos, 7% greater than in 2003, while equity reached $10 trillion,
representing an increase of 8%.
(FIN/JHINA/CIE)
March 11, 2005
