Overview

Canada's Commitment
Looking Ahead

The Canadian government, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has been providing development and humanitarian assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean region for more than thirty years.

In July 2007, Prime Minister Harper announced that "Canada is committed to playing a bigger role in the Americas". He said: "Three key objectives form the basis of our new Government's re-engagement in the Americas: to promote basic democratic values, to strengthen economic linkages and to meet new security challenges."

Most countries of Latin America and the Cribbean have democratically elected governments. Volunteer and community-based organizations are active participants in national and regional development. The region is tremendously diverse, encompassing some of the world's most destitute nations, such as Haiti and some of the world's industrial powers, such as Brazil.

Despite the region's recent progress, poverty and inequality remain the primary development challenges. The greatest income gap in the world is found in the Americas: the bottom 20 percent of the population earns 5 percent of the national income, while the top 20 percent earns 50 percent. Over 225 million people live in poverty, with children, women, rural populations, and indigenous and black communities most affected. Unequal access to health care, education, and productive assets like land and capital, perpetuate this imbalance. The region also experiences a high level of volatility: political instability, rising crime and violence, environmental deterioration, climatic variability, and economic fluctuations all worsen poverty, inequity, and social tensions.

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Canada's Commitment

CIDA's support to the region focuses on reducing poverty and inequity.

CIDA is working with a wide variety of partners to achieve concrete results through it's priority themes.

Some examples:

In Bolivia, CIDA is strengthening the institutions responsible for monitoring and regulating the oil and gas sector, a key driver of economic growth in this country. The project provides technical assistance and training to improve industry standards and regulations. The project also strengthens revenue management and collection, and increases the domestic use and export of natural gas.

In Colombia, CIDA is working with communities to reach out to youth at risk of joining the internal conflict, and providing these young people with other options. Schools are working with youth and their families to reduce violence and promote peace.

In Haiti, CIDA responded quickly and effectively to the widespread devastation caused by the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Already committed to improving the lives of Haitians, CIDA launched concerted efforts with trusted and established partners to assist those affected by the disaster. CIDA is determined to give all Haitians new hope.

On the north coast of Honduras, CIDA is supporting the provision of safe water and sanitation facilities, hygiene and health education, and protection of micro-watershed areas for 16,000 people. The project is also helping municipalities to manage these services themselves in a financially viable manner.

In Peru, CIDA helped establish the national Ombudsman's Office and is now reinforcing its management and technical capacity to monitor the rule of law, promote and protect human rights, and foster alternative conflict resolution. This is helping improve the quality, effectiveness, and accessibility of services centrally and at the Ombudsman's regional offices.

In the Caribbean region we will focus in three main areas that are aligned with the thematic priority of stimulating sustainable economic growth.

• We will continue to support regional cooperation, in an effort to facilitate economic renewal and help the region to adapt to a single market that will improve trade and competitiveness.
• We will work to improve democratic governance and create more accountable public institutions.
• And we will expand opportunities by training a new generation of Caribbean leaders, through strengthening vocational training programs for young people so that at-risk youth will gain the skills they need to find a job.

At the inter-American level, CIDA is supporting the reform of the criminal justice system in several Latin American countries. Canadian jurists will share best practices and encourage innovative approaches in solving problems.