Ottawa -- Canada has pledged $100 million over the next four years for Central America's recovery, the Honourable Diane Marleau, Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie announced yesterday during her visit to the region.
The funds will come from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) envelope, and will focus on restoring agricultural production, reconstructing basic health facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure and rebuilding houses. Part of the funds will also go towards protecting the environment and managing natural resources, for example, by planting trees on hillsides to prevent erosion.
"I've just come back from Nicaragua and Honduras and it made me proud to see Canada's development agency, National Defence and the non-governmental (NGO) community working together. I want to thank them for their dedication," said Madame Marleau. "We will continue to work side by side to help meet people's most urgent needs as we begin to focus on the region's reconstruction."
While in Central America, Madame Marleau met with officials from Nicaragua and Honduras to discuss reconstruction needs. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will review its programming in the region and make the necessary adjustments. The current level of assistance to the region is approximately $40 million a year. The $100 million is in addition to this amount.
The latest figures report 11,500 people dead, 14,000 missing and approximately 3.5 million displaced in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Damage to infrastructure and crops, such as coffee and bananas, is estimated at $4 billion, most of which is in Honduras and Nicaragua.
To date, CIDA has allocated $9.15 million towards emergency assistance in the region and Canada has suspended repayments of principal and interest on $29.5 million in official debt owed by Honduras.
Funding for CIDA's humanitarian assistance package was provided for in the February 1998 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
Information:
Office of the Minister for International
Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie
Telephone: 819 997-6919
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: 819 953-6534
Public Enquiries Service
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Tel: 819 997-5006
Toll Free Tel.: 1-800-230-6349
Fax: 819 953-6088
For the hearing and speech impaired (TDD/TTY): 819 953-5023
For the hearing and speech impaired (TDD/TTY): Toll Free Tel.: 1-800-331-5018
Internet address: http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca
E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca
This site is maintained by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
=A9 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 1998