FAQs

The Plan is a regional initiative of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that addresses the structural causes of irregular migration from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America.

In order to create development conditions that encourage the rooting of the three countries’ populations, the Plan involves the implementation of actions focused on four strategic pillars (i) fostering the productive sector, (ii) developing human capital, (iii) improving citizen security and access to justice, and (iv) strengthening institutions and improving transparency.

The national coordination framework to monitor the Plan’s actions is similar in the three countries. The governments appoint Presidential Commissioners and cross-sectoral technical teams.

• In El Salvador, the Office of the Vice President, the Technical and Planning Secretariat (SETEPLAN) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lead the technical team.

• In Honduras, efforts are coordinated by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Government Coordination and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• In Guatemala, the technical team is led by the National Competitiveness Program (PRONACOM), the Planning and Programming Secretariat (SEGEPLAN), the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, a Specific Cabinet led by the President has been created.

Each country has created a Consultative Board or Group: an institutional forum to hold dialogues with civil society and the private sector, accompanied by the U.S. government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In the case of El Salvador, five subcommittees were created – one for each strategic line of action of the Plan, and another to address migration issues exclusively.

The Plan has been financed primarily with resources from the Northern Triangle countries themselves, complemented by financial and technical support from partner countries —particularly the United States— and cooperation agencies.

Source: Technical Groups from each Northern Triangle country

The financial support provided by the United States for the Plan is embedded in the U.S. Strategy for Central America, and is channeled through its national agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

The following table summarizes the amounts allocated by and/or requested from Congress to date:

* This amount has been allocated to bilateral assistance in the “Rest of Central America” and “other regional assistance”.
Fiscal year (FY): October 1st to September 30th
Source: Congressional Research Service (2018), “U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2018 Appropriations”..