At the summit of the Central American Integration System, authorities agreed to relaunch the regional integration process, centering it on combating crime and violence.
The first chapter of the Action Plan signed by Central American presidents is called “Democratic Security” and foresees meetings among all the sectors related to security and defense in the region for the second half of 2010, as well as obtaining the necessary human, financial and technological resources to develop a security strategy in Central America.
Paying for armed custody, satellite tracking and “tolls” to armed gangs are some of the additional costs that must be paid when transporting goods in Central America.
Some transportation companies state that $14.000 must be paid each year in security related costs for a single truck carrying goods within the Central American region.
Laura Chinchilla will head an administration that will continue Oscar Arias’ work, although with differences due to her distinct personality.
An inspection of her cabinet leaves no doubt that Chinchilla will assume continuity policies. Some of its ministers belonged to Arias’. Others served with Figueres Olsen in 1994-1998, and many are very close to her.
Organized crime, especially the one related to drug trafficking, recruits its members in young, marginalized populations.
Antonio María Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated that “Central America is very vulnerable to organized crime, due to a series of factors which include underdevelopment, large flow of guns and a young population”.
Every new government generates expectations, and they are larger when the topics are most sensitive for the population.
For the new president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, her experience as Justice and Security minister increases hope in her government to revert growing insecurity in the country.
Cvil insecurity is a big challenge to human development in Central America, but this challenge comes with a solution.
No strong-arm tactics, but no soft touch either. Remedies for the heightened levels of insecurity in the region involve the application of "smart authority" within the context of respect for democracy and adherence to the rule of law, according to the Report on Human Development in Central America 2009-2010, Opening spaces for citizen security and human development. The release of the report was presided over by Mauricio Funes, the president of El Salvador, together with Rebeca Grynspan, Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean; Jessica Faieta, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of UNDP for El Salvador; Juan Daniel Alemán, the Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (CAIS); and Hernando Gómez Buendía, the general coordinator of the Report.
An ex President, high ranking public officers and distinguished businessmen are sentenced for corruption and peculation in Costa Rica.
When justifying the sentence, the judges told of how a group of powerful politicians from a prominent party conformed a criminal gang which developed an entire operation using assets of the State, among them Legislative Assembly and Social Security, to make money with illegal commissions paid by foreign and domestic dishonest businessmen.
Executive training for dealing with violent situations seems to be a prerequisite to boarding a plane.
Business opportunities are rarely found across the street. It is no longer easy to find them without traveling, often to places where personal security risks are high.
Life in Mexico is becoming uncomfortable for drug traffickers who find it easy to install themselves and continue their operations in Costa Rica.
According to the Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD), the confiscation of cocaine rose from 3 thousand tons in 2002 to more than 32 thousand tons in 2007, and this does not appear to be due to increased efficiency of the authorities responsible for traffic enforcement, but merely that Costa Rica has become the passage route by air, sea and land for the drug to United States. It is estimated that the relationship between drugs captured and the total traffic through the country is 1:10.
Costa Rica, along with Chile and Uruguay, is one of three Latin American countries with level 2 (1 = best, 5 = worst), according to the index developed by FTI Consulting.
With a 3 index, Panama ranks among the safest in Latin America.
The index measures the level of danger to the security of corporations and foreign executives based on the number of homicides and other factors, according to official information from public security institutions, NGOs and criminal research institutes.
Central America is literally being occupied by criminal forces and the result is not only physical but also economic insecurity for its citizens.
Crime and violence, especially that which is generated by organized crime, drug trafficking first, are increasing in the region, while the states seem overwhelmed by the problem.
In an effort to curb violence, Central American governments spent some $6.5 billion in 2006, or nearly 7.7% of the sub-region’s GDP.
The highest spending rates are for Guatemala, with a bill of US$2.29 billion, followed by El Salvador with US$2.10 billion. Costa Rica and Nicaragua registered significantly less with US$ 791 million and US$529 million respectively.
When compared to the GDP of each country, these numbers represent a surprisingly high portion of GDP, with some 11% for El Salvador, with 10% in Nicaragua, and 3.6% for Costa Rica.
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