Strategy’s 2012-2015 objectives are to reduce constraints on growth and promote social and productive inclusion, urban sustainability, and environmental protection

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a country strategy with Argentina for the 2012-2015 period that focuses Bank support on the Norte Grande and the greater Buenos Aires area, two regions that lag behind the rest of the country in various aspects.

The strategy will be supported by an IDB $6 billion program over the four-year period.

The strategy’s objectives are to reduce restrictions on growth and promote social and productive inclusion, urban sustainability, and environmental protection.

Despite some progress, significant development challenges remain, particularly with regards to the need to reduce disparities in the Norte Grande region and the greater Buenos Aires area in comparison with the rest of the country.

The Norte Grande, made up of Argentina’s nine northern provinces and representing 27.2 percent of the country’s land area and 20.7 percent of its population, has a lower level of economic and social development than the country as a whole. The purpose of the strategy is to help improve the region’s competitiveness and productivity and reduce development disparities.

The greater Buenos Aires area, which covers 2,400 km2 and contains one third of the country's population, includes pockets of poverty and exclusion and suffers from environmental problems. The new Bank strategy aims to help improve the quality of life in the region and increase opportunities for its people.