Mexico to launch El Salvador program under Central America development plan

Mexico will launch a job creation program for El Salvador on Thursday as part of its Central America development plan geared at slowing illegal migration, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday.

Speaking in New York after a meeting at the United Nations, Ebrard also said that Mexico will announce figures on Thursday for investments planned in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. He added that Spain and Germany are among the countries that have backed the Central America development plan.

The Comprehensive Development Plan for the South of Mexico and Central America has the objective of serving the migrant population.

The Mexican foreign minister reported that after meeting with António Guterres, secretary general of the agency, Mexico agreed to support the governments of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, with the purpose of responding to the intention that the Central Americans should not be in conditions of forced migration due to poverty or insecurity in their countries of origin.

He explained that tomorrow, Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will meet in Tapachula, Chiapas with his Salvadoran counterpart, Nayib Bukele, in order to announce a series of actions.

This development plan will be funded through the “Sembrando Vida” initiative, where Mexico will contribute several million dollars of financing in El Salvador, where it will have the support of Spain and Germany.

The chancellor hoped that eventually more nations will join this initiative that aims to demonstrate that it can improve the living conditions of the population and thus curb illegal migration.

He added that more than 14 UN agencies participate in the implementation of this development plan to serve the migrant population.