Sowing the Seeds of Development in the Central American Northern Triangle
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, visited Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, and Cuba, from May 5th to the 8th, invited by the authorities of those countries. The Mexican president intended to monitor the progress of his development strategy to curb migration and, if necessary, renew his speech to address the root problems of this phenomenon. The agenda of the head of state was focused on cooperation for development with programs such as the implementation of the social programs “Sembrando Vida” (“Sowing Life”) and “Jovenes Construyendo el Futuro” (“Youth Building for the Future”) for the countries of Central America. For example, the application of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador could immediately retain 90,000 people in their countries and thereby reduce migratory flows.
López Obrador has insisted on reproaching the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden for not having delivered the four billion dollars that he offered to invest in the programs mentioned above. However, the Mexican president is looking for options to increase investment to trigger the region’s social and economic development. He has also emphasized that the Central American countries and Mexico suffer from the same problems: poverty, inequality, frustration in the countryside, social disintegration, marginalization, and the historical denial of effective rights for the majority. For López Obrador, it is impossible to face the migratory phenomenon only with more strict laws, walls, and police, but with well-being, security, and peace in the places of origin of the migrants. See the link for the whole article: https://www.telesurtv.net/news/mexico-amlo-gira-centroamerica-cuba-20220507-0012.html
Global Ministries’Partners in the Central American Northern Triangle are looking for ways to promote sustainable development, peacebuilding, and the promotion of people staying safe in their own countries. It is our task, as churches in the U.S. and Canada, to know more comprehensively the social, economic, ecological, political, and cultural issues that cause the phenomenon of migration, particularly from the countries that are part of “the Northern Triangle” (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador).
You are all invited to participate in the webinar: “Pal’ Norte” – A View of Migration in the Central American Northern Triangle. This webinar will be held on May 25th, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM ET. The goals of this webinar are: to reflect on the causes that cause migration in the area of the Northern Triangle in Central America; to present the alternatives and work of Global Ministries partners (Christian Commission for Development in Honduras, the Salvadorian Lutheran Synod, and the Christian Ecumenical Council of Guatemala), and to respond to questions and concerns of the participants. Please, register here.