UNDP and CIIT Promote the Isthmus Program

UNDP Mexican Representative Lorenzo Jiménez de Luis and Inter-Oceanic Corridor’s Director Rafael Marín Mollinedo signed an agreement to support the implementation of the Isthmus Program. The strategic collaboration is expected to improve the economic and living conditions of 79 municipalities.

This cooperation will be part of the program for the development of the Transisthmic Corridor. This project is a high priority for the government because it aims to connect the Mexican Gulf with the Pacific Ocean. This connection will boost national and international investment, grow the national market and diversify economic activities in the region, reported La Jornada.

Economic development for the preservation of regional history, culture and traditions is one of the project’s main objectives, according to consultations from 46 municipalities in Oaxaca and 33 in Veracruz, reported UNDP.

According to Jiménez, seven regional assemblies and fourteen meetings that involved 5,000 people from 12 indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities were organized by the Mexican government between March and October of 2019.

According to La Jornada, the first part of the project will be promoted by CIIT and UNDP to carry out a multiple study that will identify the social needs in the region. In addition, there will be a mapping of the 79 municipalities that will be used to implement sustainability and gender equality programs.

Marín said the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a region that has been marginalized from national development and this has formed one of the weakest and underdeveloped economies in the country. He mentioned that this project aims to pay the historic debt that the government has with the region and that social justice can be achieved by the implementation of efficient programs, reported La Jornada.

Jimenéz said the project will not impose anything because it was already consulted with the communities. In addition, it was explained that UNDP’s role will be economically modest. UNDP will hire technical experts to live and work with the communities to create and implement projects that will improve their living conditions.

Maria Xóchitl Molina González, Director of the Veracruz Institute of Indigenous Affairs, said it is essential to maintain constant communication with indigenous communities and that the project’s success will depend on the trust and cooperation between the region’s population and the authorities.