31 years of economic and political information and analysis on the region

Costa Rica

Pacuare dam: more lies?
Government plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on the Pacuare river are being challenged by neighboring communities and tourist companies, which argue that the damming of the nearby Reventazón river badly affected the local tourist industry. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) has proposed the development as an environmentally friendly option to satisfy the country's growing energy demands. However, some experts have questioned the project's impact on the environment as well as criticizing the involvement of multinational energy exporters which are seeking to fully exploit the neoliberal reforms outlined in the Puebla Panama Plan and the Electrical Integration System for Central America (SIEPAC).

Region

HIV/AIDS: data and treatments still patchy
According to some health organizations, government figures for the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in the region are way off the mark. Although the numbers are important because they form a basis for action by the respective health ministries, some activists believe a worse problem is the fact that government AIDS programs put too much emphasis on celibacy and not enough on safe sex. Specialists in the field are noting that the HIV virus is increasingly prevalent in traditionally low-risk groups, notably women and heterosexual campesinos. Meanwhile, a Spanish NGO has hinted at resistance from industrialized countries to provide affordable pharmaceutical treatments.

Guatemala

2005 Budget debate
Based on an estimated Q24,775 million (US$3,145.03) in state revenues for 2005 and a further Q7,000 million of estimated contributions from independent financial sources, Óscar Berger´s government presented its proposed 2005 General Budget to congress. Parliamentary debate has yet to begin, but many speculate that the budget proposals will be subject to changes driven by political interests.

Death penalty likely to remain
October 10 is the World day against the death penalty, a sentence that still exists in Guatemala. CAR visited a high security prison in Esquintla, near the Pacific coast, to find out about the conditions faced by those on death row.

Politicization of courts questioned
Following a negotiation process that revealed the country’s balance of political power, the new Supreme Court of Justice was chosen on September 28. The new court corresponds to the interests of the leading parliamentary parties, particularly the Grand National Alliance (GANA) and the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG). The rest of the candidates are linked to the National Progress Party (PAN) and the National Union of Hope (UNE).

Panama

The forgotten poor
Over the last century the outlook for Panama's indigenous population has not much improved. Indigenous groups suffer from three main afflictions: poverty; the resurgence of supposedly extinct diseases, such as malaria; and territorial conflicts. Despite making up 10% of Panama's population, indigenous people have limited access to education, health and basic amenities and are subject to widespread of discrimination.

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8 October 2004