GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the creation of a platform for South-South cooperation in which Central American countries may access knowledge and successful experiences of such countries as Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil in the area of security.
Establishment of the platform comes in response to a request by Central American governments and pledges of cooperation made by presidents Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Felipe Calderón of Mexico during the conference on security being held in Guatemala City.
The IDB yesterday announced a contribution of $US500 million toward the total of $1.3 billion earmarked for security in Central America over the next two years.
The IDB has been the pioneer multilateral organization in supporting citizen security programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Bank is presently carrying out second generation programs that focus on areas where it can provide added value.
The cooperation platform will include initiatives for violence prevention, information security, criminal justice, law enforcement, rehabilitation, alternative dispute resolution, and innovative financing mechanisms.
In addition, the Bank is designing a border security program that will complement the procedure for control and tracing commercial operations known as the International Customs Transfer for Merchandise (TIM). The TIM is successfully being applied from Mexico’s southern border to Nicaragua.
Thursday marked the conclusion of the IDB's participation in the international conference, which drew more than 1,500 participants. During the event, a number of agencies and donor countries announced contributions aimed at advancing the security agenda.
"This conference is an unprecedented event that promises to bring positive results to the people of Central America," said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno on Wednesday in a speech before the gathering.