| COLOMBIA, A POSITIVE
COUNTRY
Prepared by:
Coordination of Internal and External
Communications Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Relations
FOREGROUND
• RADIO FOR
COEXISTENCE: to strengthen a peaceful coexistence and
citizen formation in the various regions, the Ministry of Culture
will present the Project called Citizen Radio Stations : A Space
for Democracy. This project, which will generate over 140 direct
jobs, is aimed at supporting 3.264 radio broadcasts, 25 minutes
each, intended to promote these values as well as cultural diversity.
The resources assigned amount to $1,500 million and are part
of a cooperation agreement subscribed among the Ministry of Culture,
the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, and the U.S. Agency
for International Development, USAID.
• EDUCATIONAL
TV: the Colombian Government, supported by the United
Nations Fund for Townships, through the TV program Tú decides
(You Decide), educates the Colombian people in areas such as
sexual prevention, cancer and intra-family violence. In this
program, which is broadcast every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on Channel
One, the topics discussed include: preventing sexual transmitted
infections and Aids; undesired pregnancy, specially among teenagers;
sexual or family violence; prevention of cervix cancer; and promotion
of a safe maternity.
SOCIAL EQUITY
• FNA APPROVES
MORE CREDIT: The National Saving Fund (FNA) approved additional
resources in the amount of $40 billion, which will be devoted
to awarding housing loans to its affiliates who meet the requirements.
Through this budget addition, in 2004 FNA has allocated $324,600
million intended to promote mortgage loans. In addition, with
the approval of the Board of Directors of 452 mortgage credits,
estimated in $15,585 million, the same number of Colombian families
will be the new housing credit beneficiaries. So far in 2004,
the National Saving Fund has approved 8,255 loans, which add
up to $270,763 million.
• WORLD BANK
FINANCES AQUEDUCTS: The National Council of Economic and
Social Policy, Conpes, authorized the contracting of an external
credit line for financing aqueduct and sewage projects throughout
the country. The resources will be used to partially finance
a program that supports potable water and basic sanitation sectors.
The credit will be used to support works for construction, upgrading
and optimization of water supply and sewage networks, which had
been previously approved through the so called Only Window of
the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development.
• AID FOR THE
VICTIMS OF TERRORISM: between January and September 2004,
the Colombian Government has distributed a total of $23,600 million
among 2,034 families, who have been the victims of terrorist
attacks. This economic support consists in an aid equivalent
to 42.29 minimum legal salaries in force on the year in which
these events occurred. The beneficiaries are the relatives of
the people deceased as a result of massacres, combats and terrorist
attacks. During this Administration, a total of 2,245 families
have benefited, with 211 receiving this aid in 2003 and 2,034
so far this year.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EMPLOYMENT
GENERATION
• GROWTH OF
FOREIGN INVESTMENT: Direct Foreign Investment (IED) in
the Colombian economy increased by US$607 million during the
first half of 2004. Between January and June of this year, investment
reached US$1,438 million. Specifically, investment was mainly
devoted to mining and quarry activities, with US$601 million
and US$502 million in the oil industry. In the first half year,
the source of financing was achieved through external credit,
having contracted US$302 million as a result of the increase
in the net indebtedness of the private sector, for a total of
US$549 million, while the debt in the public sector decreased
by US$247 million.
• REDUCTION
OF PUBLIC DEBT: At the closing of the first half in 2004,
the Colombian public debt, both external and internal, decreased
by US$185 million vis-à-vis December of last year. While
in December 2003, it reached US$38,066 million, in June 2004,
it decreased to US$37,881 million. Out of the US$37,881 million
total external public debt, that is, debt contracted by the Government
or by public entities, it reached US$24,295 million, representing
a 64%. The private external debt amounted to US$13,586 million
at June of this year, accounting for 36% of the total debt.
• LESS UNEMPLOYED
COLOMBIANS: The unemployment rate countrywide declined
from 14.8% to 13.1% last August vis-à-vis the same month
in 2003. While in 2003, l7, 418,000 Colombians were employed,
in August 2004 the number was 17,526.000, that is, 108,000 more
people. According to DANE, the unemployment rate in August 2004
was 13.1%, or 1.7 points below that recorded in August 2003,
2.9 points below August 2002, and 1.6 points below August 2001.
• GOOD QUALITY
COFFEE: The Ministry of the Environment, the Netherlands
Embassy, the Tayrona Indigenous Confederation, and the organization
that represents the Arhuaco People, launched the Tiwun Coffee
in the domestic market, with export purposes. The introduction
of this new product in the Colombian market was possible thanks
to an agreement entered into by the Taryrona Indigenous Confederation
and the Carrefour supermarket chain. The Tiwun coffee is cultivated
and harvested in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (snowed peak)
through sustainable methods, which translated in its obtaining
the organic product certification from the French firm Eco-Cert.
The economic gain from the product will benefit the indigenous
community directly.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• DEMOBILIZATION
CONTINUES: Two hundred members of the illegal armed groups
surrendered voluntarily in September throughout the country.
The illegal armed group from which most members escaped was FARC,
with 102 desertions, followed by AUC with 77, ELN with l5 and
dissident groups 6. The departments recording more demobilization
were Antioquia with 28, Casanare with 25 and Meta with 23. The
remaining desertions occurred to a lesser extent in all other
departments. Adding these surrenders, the total demobilized population
adds up to 2,124 so far this year, and 6,434 during the Administration
of President Álvaro Uribe.
• AGAINST ANTI-PERSONNEL
MINES: the Government of the United Status delivered 100
anti-personnel mine detectors that will be used by the Army,
the Navy, the Security Administrative Department (DAS), the Investigation
Technical Bureau (CTI), and the Colombian Police to deactivate
these blast devices used by the illegal armed groups. The mine
detectors delivered to the Colombian authorities were selected
especially by anti-explosive technicians from the Bureau for
Control of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of the United
States.
EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE STATE
• SELECTION
BASED ON MERIT: The Colombian Government reported that
the process for selection based on merit, contemplated in Decree
1972 of 2002, is currently applicable to a total of 362 public
positions of significant importance. These 362 public positions
where such meritocracy has been applied are distributed as follows:
106 in Sena, 33 in ICBF, 28 in the Social Security Institute,
10 in Agustín Codazzi Geogrpahical Institute, 33 in the
regional directorates of the labor office of the Social Protection
Ministry, 86 in the internal control office of the Public Function
Administrative Department (DAFP), 46 in Icetex, and 20 in other
agencies.
(FIN/PCO/CIE)
8 October 2004.
|
