Promoting Equitable Economic Development Democracy will not be sustainable in Latin America unless elected governments muster the commitment and resources to reverse recent trends toward deepening ecnomic inequality and poverty in the region.
Poverty levels remain stubborrnly high.
Unemployment and inequality have actually increased. Frustration with the lack of improvement in people's daily lives fuels renewed social conflict and fosters impatience with democracy. Ensure that the national and international reconstruction programs following Hurricane Mitch contribute to reducing poverty in Central America, are carried out in transparent and accountable ways, and creat mechanisms for participation by Central American civil society in defining long-term economic and development policy. Ensure Specific attention and a commitment of serious resources to sustainable rural development and the involvement of campesino organizations in the national debate on rural development policy in El Salvador , Honduras, and Nicaragua, particularly in the context of hurricane reconstruction efforts. Secure adequate levels of U.S. economic assistance for the region, particularly development assistance for the poorest countries, and economic resources to carry out U.S. commitments to support the peace process in Guatemala.