| COLOMBIA, A POSITIVE COUNTRY
Prepared by :
Internal and External
Communications Coordination
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
CLOSE-UP
• COLOMBIA´S HISTORICAL MEMORY:
The budget for maintaining cultural interest goods or national
monuments amounts to $10 billion,
and it is derived from the additional 4% VAT imposed on mobile
telephony. Specifically, resources generated by the VAT on mobile
telephony are allocated 75% to sports support, and the remaining
budget is transferred to the provinces, which are to invest in
sports and culture, including the patrimony recovery area. Currently,
in Colombia there are 51 national monuments.
•
INTERNATIONALIZATION OF “JUAN VALDEZ” SHOPS: the
first Juan Valdez shop abroad was inaugurated in Washington by
the General Secretary of the American Estates Organization, César
Gaviria Trujillo, and by Arturo Gómez Jaramillo, former
manager of the National Coffee Growers Federation between 1958
and 1982. The Juan Valdez program, promoted by the Colombian
Government, is aimed at strengthening the image of Colombian
coffee abroad by opening exclusive coffee shops in New York,
Washington, Tokyo, Madrid and Panama, among other places. The
Colombian Coffee Growers Federation has invested $6 billion in
the 11 Juan Valdez shops in Colombia: six in Bogota, one in Cartagena,
two in Medellin, one in the National Coffee Park and a mobile
one.
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AND DISCIPLINE: after winning the first
place in the skating World Championship in Milan, Italy 2004 -
in the track and route modalities - the members of the Colombian
team were awarded a special mention by President Álvaro
Uribe for their triumph. The team won 41 medals, 19 gold, 13 silver
and 9 bronze. The Colombian team was first, followed by the Italian
and US teams. Forty-five countries participated in this international
event, which took place between 4 and 11 September. The Colombian
Government, through Coldeportes, contributed $45 million for the
participation of the skaters in the various sports competitions.
• THE ‘VUELTIAO’ HAT, A CULTURAL SYMBOL: the vueltiao
hat, a typical handicraft in the Atlantic Coast region and a popular
piece in Colombia. This was established in Law 908 issued last
8 September, approved by President Alvaro Uribe, acknowledging
the culture of the Zenu people, settled in the provinces of Córdoba
and Sucre. These hats are manufactured mainly in the Indian reservations
located in San Andrés de Sotavento, in the small towns of
Tuchín, Los Vidales, Bellavista, El Contento, La Cruz del
Guayabo and Comején.
• THEATER FETIVAL
IN MANIZALES, COLOMBIAN PATRIMONY: President Álvaro
Uribe, Approved Law 907, which declares the Latin American Theatre
Festival in Manizales a cultural patrimony of the nation. The law,
furthermore, establishes that Colombia, through the Ministry of
Culture, will continue contributing to the promotion, dissemination,
development and financing of cultural values derived from the Latin
American Theatre festival. Throughout its 25 years of cultural
activity, it has always gathered the most diverse and representative
expressions around the theatre. Every year, Manizales brings together
the best of stage arts in Latin America and worldwide.
SOCIAL EQUITY
• FORMULAS TO
REDUCE POVERTY: an expert’s
mission was appointed to determine the actual poverty situation
in Colombia,
and to design a strategy to reduce it. The mission will have one
year to carry out the respective study, research and analysis,
and to make concrete proposals that should enable the country to
opt for a long-term policy and to reduce this social phenomenon.
According to the coordination of the mission, a report will be
presented in a ten-month time and there will be an adjustment period
for the report where the strategies, costs and possible financing
will be recommended. The plan is intended to generate employment
and revenues aimed at providing basic utilities, housing, health
and education to the Colombian people.
• THE BID ENDORSEMENT: The Interamerican Bank for Development
(IDB) Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) reconfirmed its
full endorsement to the Government’s social policy, particularly
to the fostering of small companies, considering that the development
of this sector has become a material tool to combat poverty and
to reinforce the country’s development. In addition, it stated
that it will be willing to support every project intended to overcome
poverty conditions in Colombia, such as hospital modernizing, rural
housing, sanitation and other aspects directly related to the Seven
Social Equity Tools of Uribe’s administration.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATION
• THE MAGDALENA
RIVER, A GOOD OPTION: the mobilization of
passengers on the Magdalena River grew by 61% in 2003 vis-à-vis
the immediately precedent year. In 2002, a total of 2.69 million
people used this fluvial means, while in 2003 this number increased
to 4.33 million. A positive trend was also recorded in the mobilization
of cargo, which increased by 15.4% in 2003 vs. 2002. Last year,
4,412 million tons of cargo were transported, compared to 3.82
million tons in 2002, thus showing an increment of nearly 600,000
tons.
• HUGS, SAFE
FROM PEST: Colombia
completed 14 months without one case of the Hug Plastic Pest
( PPC for its name in Spanish),
a highly contagious disease caused by a virus in the urine, phaeces,
saliva, nose secretions and ill animal semen. Currently, ICA and
ACP have an agreement to coordinate immunizations throughout the
country and to implement other sanitary prevention and control
measures, which have rendered material results in past years. As
a result, it has been possible to reduce losses, calculated at
$11 billion per year.
• IDB LOANS: The Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) approved loans to Colombia in 2004 and 2005 for a
total of US$1.8 billion.
A loan for US$800 million has been agreed for this year, split
in two line items: one for US$200 million and another one for US$600
million, while during 2005, a US$1 billion loan was approved, which
will be invested in various governmental programs. This year, the
IDB has envisaged important programs in different areas such as,
hospitals, regional utilities and immunization support, among others,
a project to which the Government has assigned the utmost importance.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• OPERATIONAL
RESULTS: under the
parameters of Democratic Security, common homicides have decreased
by 10.8%, from 15,787
between January and August 2003, to 14,088 for the same period
in 2004. On the other hand, massacres have decreased by 46.9%,
from 64 to 34 cases recorded, and the number of casualties from
354 to 191. Kidnapping has decreased by 38.5%. Last year, 1,646
cases were recorded vs. 1,013 this year. In particular, kidnapping
by extortion has decreased by 52.7%, from 1,120 during the first
eight months of 2003, to 530 in the same period in 2004.
EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE STATE
• GOOD RESULTS
OF FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING: so far
in 2004, the authorities have sprayed 87,715 hectares of coca and
puppy seed crops throughout the country, and in Uribe Vélez
Administration, this figure has reached 293.666 hectares. In particular,
between January and August 2004, 97.5 tons of cocaine have been
seized, showing an increase of 38.3% with respect to the same period
in 2003, when the authorities seized 70.5 tons of cocaine. In the
fight against drug trafficking, 44,100 people engaged in this criminal
activity have been captured, while the Government has seized 20,015
kilograms of coca base, 572 of heroine, 113,033 of marihuana, 952
gallons of liquid feedstock and 1,697 of solid feedstock. Furthermore,
1,383 clandestine cocaine laboratories and 5 runways have been
destroyed, and 829 firearms, 24,150 ammunitions, 115 communication
equipment, 835 vehicles, 205 water vessels and 11 airplanes have
been confiscated.
(FIN/PCO/CIE)
17 September 2004
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