How Sweden and Sida work with international development cooperation
The overall goal of Swedish development cooperation is to contribute to making it possible for poor people to improve their living conditions. By reducing injustices and poverty throughout the world, better opportunities are created for development, peace and security for all people and nations. In an increasingly globalised world we are all dependent on, and affected by, each other.
Not all Swedish ODA is channelled via Sida. Of Sweden's total budget for development cooperation in 2006, SEK 15,4 billion, or 53 %, was channelled via Sida. Other major Swedish actors in the field of international development cooperation are the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedfund
Why does Sweden provide support to Guatemala?
Guatemala is one of the countries in a post-conflict situation with which Sweden will carry on development cooperation. Today, Swedish cooperation with Guatemala focuses on three areas, which can all be traced back to the peace treaties in 1996: to strengthen democracy, increase equal participation and promote economic development. Despite almost twelve years of peace, Guatemala's democracy remains weak.
Guatemala is a country with deep social injustices. While a small elite dominates the country in terms of ownership and political influence, the majority of the population lives in poverty. One clear example of this injustice is that Guatemala has one of Central America's highest average incomes, while 13.5 per cent of the population survives on less than one dollar per day, according to the Human Development Report 2007. Poverty is greatest in rural areas, and with the exceptionally low tax burden, social welfare is very limited and many lack access to health care and basic education.
It is, above all, Guatemala's indigenous population, the Maya Indians, who live in social, economic and political exclusion. This exclusion and widespread poverty were the fundamental causes of the bloody civil war that ravaged the country for almost 40 years.
The peace agreement, which was signed on 29 December 1996, contains detailed guidelines for a series of changes designed to create a more just and egalitarian country.
As the only national development plan, the peace agreement forms the basis of Sweden's development cooperation with Guatemala, the greatest challenge of which is to involve the entire population in the process.
However, although significant advances have been made towards achieving a more democratic society, the implementation of the ideals of the peace agreement is progressing slowly.
How long has Sweden been providing support to Guatemala?
Sweden has been providing humanitarian aid to Guatemala and the victims of the war since the 1970s. Since the signing of the peace agreement, Swedish aid has increased and changed character from humanitarian emergency relief to long-term efforts to secure peace, reduce poverty and strengthen democracy.
What does Sida do in Guatemala?
Guatemala is one of three countries in Latin America that the Swedish Government is prioritising (the other two are Bolivia and Colombia). The current cooperation strategy applies until the end of June 2008. A new strategy that will apply until 2012 will then take effect. Sida will present proposals for a cooperation strategy to the Government in spring.
Development cooperation with Guatemala is focused upon three areas:
- strengthening the constitutional state and democracy, particularly at a local level
- supporting the rights and participation of women and indigenous peoples
- promoting economic restructuring to achieve growth with more equal distribution
The constitutional state and democracy
Since Guatemala has been ruled by military dictatorships for decades, its civil society is very weak. Corruption is widespread and state institutions are weak and inefficient. People are still afraid of becoming politically involved, as such activity could have cost them their lives during the war. Human rights activists still live under the threat of violence and murder.
Violence has increased in recent years, and in 2007 approx 6000 murders were committed, a large majority of which will never be solved.
A significant portion of Swedish aid is therefore invested in civil society, where it goes towards providing support to local independent organisations that represent people's interests and that help strengthen democracy from a grass-roots level through a combined strategy of lobbying and community education and organisation. This cooperation takes place largely through the Swedish organisations Diakonia and Forum Syd (an umbrella organisation for individuals and groups working with development cooperation).
Development cooperation is also targeted towards making the judicial system more readily accessible (particularly at a local level, where common law and the official legal system meet), supporting the human rights ombudsman, modernising and streamlining the judiciary, and raising the competence levels of the Members of Congress.
Finally, Sweden also provides support, via the undp, for the production and circulation of the UN's Human Development Report, which provides comprehensive data and statistics on the country.
Sida contributed to making it possible for the 2007 elections to be carried out and for more poor people to vote.
Another important contribution is concerned with systematising the information in the police records. This work has helped to provide evidence that the ombudsmanship can use in its investigations of crimes against human rights committed by the police during the civil war.
The rights of women and indigenous peoples
Racism and el machismo are widespread in Guatemala, and breed the discrimination of indigenous peoples and women at all levels of society. These are two of the most marginalised groups in the country, although they also possess great potential as active participants in the fight against poverty and in local development. Efforts to
enhance equality and the active participation of all groups in the democratisation process are rooted in the national peace agreements, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.
The work is concentrated upon supporting women's and Mayan organisations at the local level and upon strengthening governmental authorities that handle these issues. One of the recipients of Sida's support is the Women's Secretariat, which aims to embody an equality perspective into local development planning and poverty strategies. Equality is a vital component of progress and one that is to permeate all activities that Sida supports.
Economic restructuring
If poverty is to be reduced in Guatemala, it is essential that economic growth is followed by a conscious distribution policy and that the tax increases described in the peace agreements are implemented. One of the most difficult issues and the main cause of the armed conflict is that of land ownership, a problem that is compounded by the inadequacy of the land ownership register, which in itself is a serious hindrance to economic development, particularly for the country's impoverished small-scale farmers.
Sweden therefore supports efforts to train land surveyors and to create a new land register that is modern and reliable, something which will mainly be of benefit to the rural population.
Ultimately, the project will also enhance equality, since both women and men may be registered as landowners, and with land as collateral, it will be easier for women to secure loans and to take control of their own finances.
Sida also gives a lot of support to the work to improve and decentralise the health sector in Guatemala. A new health care model is being implemented with the main focus on increased local influence, i.e., the people who are affected will be given greater influence over decisions. The programme has contributed to, among other things, reducing maternal and infant mortality in some areas. Maternal and infant mortality is otherwise higher in Guatemala than in many other Latin American countries. Sida's support starts out from a rights perspective, i.e., the right to health for the whole population, and is part of the peace and reconciliation process.
A programme for local development based on microcredit gives families and small entrepreneurs with low incomes a chance to improve their quality of life. Aid money is placed in a fund, known as the FDLG, which in turn lends the money to organisations that work with credit provision (e.g. home improvement loans) and education.
Other NGOs supported by Sida
Many organisations received support for their work in Guatemala: Diakonia, Forum Syd, LO-TCO Secretariat of International Trade Union Development Co-operation, PMU Interlife, Plan Sverige, the Swedish Missionary Council (SMC), the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SNF), the Swedish Cooperative Centre, the Church of Sweden and Training for Development Assistance Operations (UBV).
Updated 22 Apr 2008
Development cooperation with Guatemala in 2007.
Costs | SEK |
Health | 16,214,000 |
Education | 954,000 |
Research | 0 |
Human rights & democratic governance | 115,287,000 |
Conflict, peace & security | 1,845,000 |
Humanitarian assistance | 14,309,000 |
Infrastructure | 20,537,000 |
Trade, business & fin. system | 306,000 |
Natural resources and environment | 22,645,000 |
Budget support poverty red. | 0 |
Other | 8,212,000 |
Total | 200,311,000 |
Sources: 2007 Sida Annual Report.
For more information about The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
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SIDA
Photo Alvaro Zepeda
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