Yesterday the latest National Human Development Report (INDH) was presented, which reveals the inequalities in Guatemala. This time, the measurement was made at the municipal level and in four areas.
The report was made public during an official activity in San Pedro Carchá, Alta Verapaz.
Ana María Díaz, representative for Guatemala of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), spoke with Prensa Libre hours before making the report public, regarding aspects to be considered in this evaluation, which covers the years 2002 and 2019.
Díaz explains in depth some aspects that the report presents in a broad way, such as the phenomenon of migration and the impact of remittances on human development, taking into account the large number of Guatemalans residing in the United States and that the money they send to the country sets unprecedented figures.
In addition, the United Nations official highlights the lack of access to technology and how it affects education, especially when the covid has forced the implementation of virtual classes, and in the particular case of Guatemala, when it has not yet been normalized. face-to-face, amid a rebound in coronavirus cases and a lag in vaccination of children under 12 years of age.
What is the subject of this report?
In this case, the in-depth issue that we are addressing is the phenomenon of the speed of change that is happening in the country’s territories. Of course, always with that look that the paradigm of human development throws at us, which puts people at the center, as the true actors and actresses of change, to understand what is happening, what the territories look like and what these phenomena are. , that it is important to keep them in mind because they are helping to reshape the territories in some dimensions.
What was the fundamental basis for establishing these indicators?
We have built, from the 2002 and 2018 census, this row of human development indicators at the municipal level, which then allows us to compare how many changes have occurred in terms of the indices over the last 16 years.
And it is that from 2002 to 2018 the human development index at the municipal level has risen in all the municipalities of the country; however, it has risen not homogeneously; Some have improved more than others.
Is representative growth shown?
It grew faster in the first 10 or 15 years of this century. They began to grow much slower from 2015.
What are the main shortcomings that Guatemala faces, according to this evaluation?
In many homes there are many very important deficiencies, such as deficiencies in technology, education, health, social services and various dimensions. They are shortcomings and precisely structural, and then the pandemic arrives and it is precisely in 2020 in a complex scenario, and the report analyzes the response that the Government gave with different programs.
Taking into account that the report details that Guatemala had a positive macroeconomic performance, what are the current employment conditions in the country?
Guatemala stands out for having a macroeconomic behavior possibly one of the best in the region. The recession was one of the lowest and the recovery was also very fast; However, the cascade effect, that is, downwards in employment, is still not being seen because people have regained employment, yes, but it is a more precarious job, because the level of income is still not where it was before the pandemic and there is more informality —labour—.
Women, in particular, suffered enormously from job loss, such as having to take charge of educational support at home and care for children, the elderly and sick people.
How much progress has been made in urbanization in Guatemala?
Guatemala, between 2002 and 2018, looking at the census data, the most striking thing has been the emergence of more intermediate cities. There are currently 19, before there were three or four, where the largest population lives, going from 3% to 14% of the population, and they are located precisely in municipalities that have high municipal human development indices. And the challenges that they entail are in terms of green spaces, in terms of forest loss, in the management of water resources, in waste, to name a few.
Migration is also measured. Where was this phenomenon most evident?
They are municipalities where the income component is low; therefore, there is a relationship between wanting to leave the country, economic capacity and motivation is the search for better living conditions.
What are the locations with the highest incidence to migrate?
The departments are Quiché, Baja Verapaz and the northwest of the country, which is where it has intensified the most, because the report also states that the issue of human mobility and migration is not a new phenomenon, it has been happening historically, but it has particularly intensified the search for better economic conditions. It was also analyzed that there are more external migrants than in 2018.
And in the case of remittances, what was the behavior?
We see that there is no correlation between higher remittances and higher human development indices; that is, remittances that have a very important value in themselves and that are undoubtedly helping survival strategies, of not falling into poverty, are not having an impact.
What are the percentages of access to housing, employment, education and technology in Guatemala?
More than 70% of Guatemalans suffer from at least one deficiency in some dimension of human development. So, approximately, 42% of Guatemalan households would have deficiencies in housing, 47% in employment, 50% in access to basic services, in education 71% and in technology, 76%. This comes out of the census; that is, in 2018 that was the reality.
