| COLOMBIA, A POSITIVE COUNTRY
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordinator
Internal and External Communications
Ministry of Foreign Relations
ON THE FRONT PAGE
• “MARIA LLENA ERES DE GRACIA” (MARIA FULL OF
GRACE), TRIUMPHS IN FRANCE: the movie Maria llena eres de gracia
that tells the story of a young 18-year-old Colombian who for a
lack of money agrees to become a “mule” to transport
drugs in her stomach to New York, won the Grand Prize at the Film
Festival in Deauville, France. It also won the International Critics’ Prize
and the Journal du dimanche Audience Prize, sponsored by a French
newspaper. This film was entered under the social film category.
• COLOMBIAN
FILMS IN SAN SEBASTIAN: for the first time, three Colombian films are competing in the
Film Festival in San
Sebastian, Spain. Sumas y restas (Additions and Subtractions) by
the director Victor Gaviria, La sombra del caminante (the Shadow
of the Walker) by Ciro Guerra and the Colombian-US co production
Maria llena eres de gracia (Maria full of grace), will compete
for first place in the Official, Pearls from other Festivals, and
Young Directors sections, respectively.
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
• ENVIRONMENTAL
INVESTMENT: for the last 10 years Colombia
has invested US $13 million, from the Montreal Protocol’s
Multilateral Fund, to eliminate close to 800 tons of substances
that damage the ozone layer. Another 300 tons have been eliminated
by direct action of the country without international support.
Thanks to this investment, Colombia remains well below the critical
contamination level recorded in the South Pole.
• RURAL CREDIT
INCREASED: in the
first eight months of this year, the Fund for Financing the Agricultural
and Ranching Sector
(Finagro) made available 1,160 billion Colombian pesos, which represents
an increase of 34.7% with respect to the $861,148 million in the
same period of last year. With this result, the agricultural portfolio,
which has been made available by Finagro until August 31 of this
year, now reaches $3.04 billion
• ELECTRICITY
IN CHOCÓ: by the end of this year,
the municipalities of Cupica, Riosucio, and Carmen del Darién,
in Chocó will have 24-hour-a-day electrical service, as
the result of the La Virginia–Cértegui (Risaralda
y Quibdó) electrical interconnection work carried out by
the National Government in that region. The mini-center project,
which is under construction, will cover the energy needs of Cupica,
while the construction of the Cauchera-Riosucio line will cover
the needs of Riosucio.
• SUPPORT TO
FAMILIES AFFECTED BY VIOLENCE: during September, 528 Colombian families affected by
terrorist and guerrilla attacks
will receive resources from the Social Solidarity Network in the
amount of $2,989 million, equivalent to 42.29 minimum salaries.
In order to cover the debt owed to pay humanitarian aid for death
to the families who are victims of the violence, the Executive
branch proposed a budget assignment of $70 billion Colombian pesos
for the year 2004, while another $70,000 million will be designated
during 2005 and an additional $70,000 million will be delivered
in 2006.
• SUPPORT FOR
HUMANITARIAN AREAS: the administration of
Spanish President José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero formalized
with the national government the delivery of two medical airplanes,
type C-212, on October 1, as well as sanitary campaign materials
and training courses, and help and cooperation in training on antipersonnel
mines. This agreement does not depend on any economic contribution
from Colombia.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT
• RESOURCES
FOR PRODUCTIVE PROJECTS IN 2005: the national government made a call to present productive
projects, in which
it will invest $12 billion pesos next year. Business groups, non-government
organizations, or associations with financial solidity are welcome
to propose projects dedicated to the production of fique, herbal
drinks, milk products, meat processing, and organic products.
• NEW BUSINESSES: in order to open up different options for employment,
and to support future entrepreneurs, through Fondo Emprender
(the Undertake Fund), Sena plans to finance 150 business plans
by the end of this year prepared directly by students and the
institution. The students will have the constant advice and accompaniment
of the instructors. Each entrepreneur chosen will receive seed
capital of $80 million. These projects can be submitted up until
October 15th at the Web site: http://www.fondoemprender.com/.
• DEMAND FOR
ELECTRICITY GROWS: in
August, the demand for electricity reached 4,027.16 Gigawatts/hour
(GWH), representing
an increase of 3.64% as compared with the 3,885.6 GWH in the same
month of 2003. In specific terms, the demand for electricity in
the last twelve months showed a growth rate of 2.43%, being 45,421.5
GWH from September 2002 to August 2003, and 46,652.4 GWH from September
2003 to August 2004. The average demand per day for the month was
129.91 GWH/day and the annual accumulated daily average was 127.48
GWH/day, while for the last 12 months it was 127.47 GWH/day, which
is the highest level is the history of the market.
• ISA’S INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY:
The Energy Network of Peru (REP), a subsidiary of the ISA group
of Colombia, completed
the construction of the Zarumilla-Zorritos line, at 230 thousand
volts, the Peruvian section of the electrical interconnection project
with Ecuador. The project required an investment of US$7 million
and was executed in 11 months by REP, the leading company in energy
transmission and the owner of 65% of the lines transmitting more
than 100 thousand volts in the Peruvian National Interconnected
System.
•
RELIEF FOR THE COFFEE GROWERS’ DEBT: the national government
launched a relief program for the coffee growers’ families
who were up to date on their payments until July 2002, but who
later got behind in their payments, and even for those who have
faithfully paid their debts. The goal is to benefit 4,000 coffee
growing families who have not received any type of aid, and who,
in the face of the changes in the international prices of the bean,
have experienced difficulties. The Coffee Debt Relief Program administered
by Finagro will have resources in the amount of $15 billion.
• ISA HAS GOOD
NEWS: the financial results as of August
of this year reveal that the net earnings of Interconexión
Eléctrica S.A. (ISA) reached $66,526 million, representing
a growth of 46% with respect to the $45,694 million for the same
period in 2003. On the operational side, income increased by 15%
with respect to the same period in the prior year, mainly due to
the efficient control of administration, operational, and maintenance
costs.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• COLOMBIA,
AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW: the United Nations Office
against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted the work carried out
by the Information and Financial Analysis Unit (UIAF) of the Ministry
of the Treasury in its report titled “Typologies for Money
Laundering and Financing Terrorism” and said that it should
be imitated by the rest of the Latin American countries, indicating
that the report promises to become a valuable reference work. The
complete document can be consulted at www.lavadodinero.com and
the typologies can be seen on the web page www.uiaf.gov.co.
STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY
• ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE: through the budget addition project for the remainder
of 2004 that will be
presented before Congress next October, the national government
will seek resources in the amount of $128.500 million to invest
in aid to the displaced population of the country. This amount
would be invested in the following way: $120 billion through the
Social Solidarity Network and $8,500 million through the Colombian
Institute of Rural Development (Incoder).
• REDISTRIBUTION
PROCESS: a total of 12 thousand hectares
of land appropriate for agriculture and located in Cundinamarca,
Meta, Nariño, Valle, Caldas, Cauca and Santander, were confiscated
and expropriated during the first two years of the government.
The Ministry of Agriculture has now undertaken the process required
to hand them over to poor farmers, demobilized militia members,
displaced people, and those unemployed due to the fumigations of
coca and poppy crops. These lands were included in the agrarian
reform process promoted by Incoder and will be handed over for
free to the beneficiaries. Five years after being received, the
productive processes will be verified and title to the land will
be given to the country people.
(FIN/PCO/CIE)
September 24, 2004
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