Investing Where It Matters
USAID’s approach to sustainable development in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
Last month, I had the opportunity to represent USAID at the Central America Donors Forum. Each year, the Seattle International Foundation invites hundreds of leaders to discuss co-investment and sustainable development efforts in the region. Collaboration is even more critical following the impacts of a global pandemic, two devastating hurricanes, and increased democratic backsliding.
The context within which we are operating shapes our approach. The economies in Latin America contracted by almost 8 percent in 2020. This year, migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador were intercepted trying to enter the United States more than 700,000 times by U.S. Border Patrol. More than 1.5 million Latin Americans have died from COVID-19, comprising 30 percent of deaths worldwide. And according to the AmericasBarometer, a majority of citizens in Latin America and the Caribbean are dissatisfied with democracy.
Despite all this, we witnessed incredible adaptation in the face of adversity. The history of Central America is the story of the strength and resilience of its people. It is the story of thousands of farmers in Guatemala and Honduras who work every day to improve the quality of their products, connect with markets, and obtain higher income; and young Salvadorans who have managed to recover and build a better future for themselves and their families despite growing up under the shadow of violence.
At the Sixth Gala of the Leadership Awards for the Americas, USAID Administrator Samantha Power expressed our fundamental strategy in Central America in a single yet powerful sentence: “We have to invest, together, in the greatest resource of the region―its people.” The “we” encompasses civil society organizations, the private sector, and other multilateral agencies that act on the ground. As a donor community, we must ensure that public goods and resources are used effectively so citizens can prosper in their own countries. Only then will our support translate into more active participation by women, youth, LGBTI people, indigenous tribes, ethnic communities, and other traditionally excluded groups.
USAID is proud of its network of alliances―our partnerships help us better respond to the needs of citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
For example, this year, in Guatemala’s Western Highlands, USAID’s Feed the Future and climate change mitigation activities unlocked public financing to preserve 12,070 hectares of forested land which will help reduce Guatemala’s greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the project, land owners will receive over $3 million in additional income over the next five years as an incentive for preserving the forests.
In Honduras, Feed the Future and NASA partnered with a Honduran regional disaster management agency to contain flooding from hurricanes Iota and Eta through mapping and forecasting. The regional disaster management agency leveraged NASA’s geospatial technology to help a major hydroelectric dam safely manage stormwater collected in the dam’s reservoir, preventing even more significant flood damage in Sula Valley, which serves as the country’s main economic hub.
We are also committed to improving our methods and programs with the support of local and international partners. Because the root causes of migration are interlinked and vary by place and over time, we look to our partners to share instances when programs are not working as intended so we can adapt or pivot. This is just as critical as identifying and scaling up successes when supported by robust evidence.
One lesson that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, is the need for business resilience. USAID is now working with businesses to strengthen their online sales capacity and facilitate investment in the struggling agriculture sector. In Honduras, through our Transforming Market Systems project, we helped a local agribusiness partner double its sales through the development of a mobile app at the height of the pandemic. With restrictions on movement, this app provided a sustained food source for families through direct food delivery services to households.
Ultimately, we seek to empower local organizations to ensure the long-term sustainability of our efforts across the region.
USAID Administrator Samantha Power recently announced the Centroamérica Local initiative, which will devote $300 million to work directly with local partners in Central America to address the root causes of irregular migration. This will enable greater flexibility and adaptability to respond to local needs and priorities.
To develop sustainable solutions, we must meaningfully address the priorities, knowledge, expertise, lived experiences, aspirations, and capacities of the people and communities who live these challenges every day. By authentically listening and responding to local voices, we truly make our aid inclusive.
While it is absolutely true that we face monumental challenges ahead, USAID will continue to expand its partnerships so that the people of the region can confidently build their lives at home.
Together, we can foster hope and opportunity.
About the Author
Mileydi Guilarte is Deputy Executive Director of USAID’s Northern Triangle Task Force and Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau.
