After two and a half years of execution, on Thursday, February 15, the results of the Municipalities project hand in hand with productive investment were presented, promoted by the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CIG) and implemented in conjunction with the Structural Reforms Fund executed by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
The objective of the project is to promote the comprehensive development of different municipalities through the active participation of the communities and enhance the involvement of the population in generating proposals for development, but through multi-sectoral linkage spaces and through a practical methodology that It allows prioritizing needs, structuring plans and energizing communication channels with municipal authorities, public and private sector organizations, among other allies.
It began in mid-2021, and 10 communities from two municipalities of Santa Cruz Muluá and San Andrés Itzapa were identified, which sought to promote projects for their development. After completion as a project, it is institutionalized as a CIG program with the name of Prosperous Communities, explained Andrea Monzón, manager of Institutional Relations of the Chamber and leader of the program.
In the new modality, the prioritization of projects in Jalapa communities has already been identified and work will be done with others that are interested in participating, since apart from the community development support component of GIZ, there is also the axis of promoting the business ecosystem.
Concrete results
Regarding the Community Development Support component, ten communities interested in promoting prosperity were identified, five of which are in Santa Cruz Muluá, Retalhuleu: San Antonio El Mangal village; San Vicente Boxomá village; Brillantes farm; El Asintal village; and La Lolita village.
Another five are in San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenang: Valle del Sol community; Hierba Buena village; Los Encinos hamlet; canton San Francisco; and Chicazanga village.
The communities defined their community development plans in order to generate conditions for productive investment and employment through coordinated planning as required by law.
Monzón mentioned as an example that a company required personnel, but with a third-grade educational level, but in the surrounding communities there were none because there are only primary education establishments. Therefore, the project proposed to unify the communities so that a middle-level study center might be installed.
Another result is that the communities were also provided with support and training to develop the tools that make up the decided methodology such as their community development plan, the annual and multi-year operational plan.
The respective plans were delivered to the municipal authorities and the Municipal Council of Urban and Rural Development (Comude) in order to integrate them into their respective planning and prioritize social investment through the execution of projects.
Monzón explained that the Chamber, with the technical support of the General Secretariat of Planning and Programming of the Presidency (Segeplan), developed a methodology for the generation of Community Development Plans. This will help ensure that there is a structure aligned with the national planning system and with plans that can be integrated at municipal and departmental levels.
The second axis was the Promotion of the Business Ecosystem, focused on strengthening small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) and 32 were identified, which include microbusinesses, cooperatives and organized groups of merchants and producers in those areas. As part of the project, they were provided with technical assistance, training and support in integrating into productive value chains that will allow them to have stable demand and income.
Those responsible for the project speak
“At the Chamber of Industry we are believers that industrialization is the path to development and that this industrialization must occur not only in the capital city but also in the interior of the country,” said Monzón.
Edgardo Ruiz, director of Strategic Inputs at CIG, mentioned the importance of seeking development at the country level from the communities and the need to do so based on the country’s legal framework, such as the Constitution, Law of Development Councils and doing it from the institutional framework. of the State, so that the entities, in this case the municipal corporations, truly respond to the needs of the communities.
“In order for municipalities to respond to the needs of the communities, it is also important that the people who work in the planning areas of the municipalities are adequately trained” and as part of the support through the Prosperous Communities program website, it will be A manual or guide is available for the community planning methodology.
The consultant César Lechuga, who was in charge of preparing the guide, said that it integrates the legal basis and a detailed explanation of what is required for entities and communities to carry out adequate management before municipalities and other entities.
And Wolfgang Schwarz, head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, added that “it is an initiative that has facilitated public-private consultation and the direct involvement of communities, which is key to achieving the coordination of decision-makers in the processes.” , planning and development of strategies that respond to their needs.”
This, considering the potential of the territories to boost their economies and strengthen the business fabric, so we are convinced that the support provided has contributed to the promotion of synergies between local actors to improve municipal management and, with it, establish development projects. that allow strategic investments to be focused, generate added value and greater employment opportunities in the communities and thus raise the level of territorial competitiveness, he added.
With technical support
The GIZ supported with 180 thousand euros of technical cooperation through the Structural Reform Fund, reported the director of the fund, Patricia García de Eskenasy. “It contributed to promoting spaces for citizen participation that allowed the coordination of decision makers to plan and develop strategies that respond to the needs of the communities and consider the potential of the territories to boost their economies, strengthen the business fabric and improve conditions. of life” he expressed.
Schwarz said that the project was aimed at promoting the comprehensive development of the territories by promoting citizen participation with a view to improving the quality of life of the population and generating conditions for productive investment and employment.
“In the near future this experience can be replicated in other municipalities together with strategic allies from the Government and the private sector. The Guatemalan Chamber of Industry will continue working on it through the Prosperous Communities program and contributing in this way to achieve inclusive and sustainable development at the local level,” he concluded.
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