Economic and Social Development – 2002

Written by

« Back to Provision

Economic and Social Development – 2002

2002

Intermediate Implementation Intermediate implementation

A new program began to prevent childhood diseases. Vaccination coverage against measles and polio increased, and the latter was effectively eradicated.1

The budget approved for the Land Trust Fund was much lower than it requested, even though there was a high demand for credit. The shortage of loan resources caused tensions and confrontations. In April 2002, members of the National Council for Displaced Guatemalans occupied several offices of the Land Trust Fund to demand access to land and loans. The Follow-up Commission intervened and the Government made moves to increase the Land Trust Fund’s budget.2

The issue of agrarian and environmental jurisdiction was finally addressed with the passage of an agrarian reform bill in Congress, but it was not yet implemented and some ambiguity about idle land remained. A Secretariat of Agrarian Affairs was also established. A land registry bill, endorsed by the Follow-up Commission, was also submitted and debated in Congress, but President Portillo withdrew it for revision. The lack of a coherent land registry system was a major hindrance to progress in rural development.3

The BANRURAL raised the credit and financial services offered substantially, but most of the poor in the rural areas could not get loans because they lacked titles to land.4

The recent moves to eliminate and prevent child labor were not enforced.5 The Social Security Institute did not as yet extend services to indigenous people.6

The Government failed to increase tax revenues to 12% of GDP, even though the deadline was extended from 2000 to 2002. The actual rate for 2002 was 10.6% of GDP. While the Government is held responsible for this failure to implement a component of the Peace Agreements, the private sector is also partly to blame for organizing resistance to tax increases.7

Congress passed the Urban and Rural Development Council Act with Legislative Decree No. 11-2002, and the General Decentralization Act with Decree No. 12-2002.8

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/55/1003), July 10, 2002.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid; “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/58/267), August 11, 2003.
  4. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/55/1003), July 10, 2002.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/58/267), August 11, 2003.
  8. “Information Received from Governments: Guatemala,” Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, United Nations Economic and Social Council, (E/C.19/2010/12/Add.8), March 3, 2010.