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Mexico
>> Regional Overview >>Mexico Overview
Development Challenge Summary Tables
Program Summary
Previous Years' Activities
2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 199717
Introduction
With its complex array of shared political, socio-economic, environmental, and health problems, Mexico is the most important U.S. foreign policy priority in Latin America. U.S. President George W. Bush singled out this key bilateral relationship for strengthening under his administration, as made evident with his February 2001 visit to Mexico. The July 2000 election of Mexican president Vicente Fox raised high expectations for change. He seeks an unprecedented expansion of the United States-Mexico partnership to meet citizen demands for economic opportunity and honest government; and has asked USAID for assistance in environment, decentralized governance, infectious diseases, and economic growth.
The Development Challenge
The rapid loss of Mexico's megabiodiversity driven by human and climatic pressure is of international importance. USAID is addressing these threats by creating public and private institutional capacity and developing management approaches to help protect these resources where none existed ten years ago. USAID-financed pilot programs have proven the viability of models for preserving natural resources and biodiversity, and using renewable energy systems and energy-efficient, non-polluting production technologies, to support economic growth. Mexican organizations applying these models are widening the impact of these pilot programs.
The Mexican people are pressing for more responsive, transparent government to better serve their needs. National, state, and municipal organizations, both public and private, are asking for USAID help to modernize the executive, judicial, and legislative administration systems, and to decentralize effective governance to the citizen level.
The 1995 peso devaluation pushed half of Mexico's 100 million people below the poverty line. Six years later, real wages have barely begun to recover. Rapid expansion of the informal economy, accompanied by continuing strong migration to the United States, suggest that Mexico cannot create enough new salaried jobs for its growing workforce. President Fox is promoting creation of economic opportunity at home for low-income Mexicans. USAID's microenterprise program supports that initiative.
Mexico has the second-highest number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Latin America. The growth of HIV/AIDS is closely related to poverty and increased migration of people between Mexico, Central America, and the United States. In addition to strengthening national and state institutions to run effective prevention and mitigation programs, USAID is assisting Mexico's collaboration with Central America to fight the regional spread of HIV/AIDS.
Migration is also a factor in the spread of tuberculosis (TB). The four U.S. border states affected now account for 20% of all U.S. cases, with the greatest number in Texas and California. USAID supports high-profile United States-Mexico collaboration to improve management and introduce modern technologies for TB detection and treatment within the Mexican public health system.
Other Donors
The largest bilateral donor in Mexico is Japan, followed in order by Germany, Spain, France and the United States. The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) together provide about $1 billion per year to help the national economy and strengthen social services for Mexico's poor. USAID leverages other donor resources, including Japanese funding, for HIV/AIDS, TB, Parks in Peril, and South-South programs (i.e., Mexican assistance to Central American development). The World Bank's Global Environmental Fund (GEF) will provide $30 million in FY 2001 to replicate rural renewable energy models developed with USAID funding. The World Bank and IDB are also developing a new program to support judicial branch modernization, based in large part on USAID-funded needs assessments. The IDB's recent loan to the Mexican National Development Bank (NAFINSA) includes $500,000 for microenterprise.
FY 2002 Program
In FY 2002, USAID will support Fox administration initiatives, including support for decentralization of governance authority to the state and municipal levels, and expansion of anti-corruption reforms for greater Executive Branch accountability. Beginning in FY 2001 and continuing in FY 2002, USAID's proven model for strengthening municipal governance will be extended and adapted to more states where there is political will for change. USAID will continue its assistance to the national legislature to modernize management processes, and will extend similar assistance to selected state legislatures. Programs designed in FY 2001 to modernize and streamline national and state administration of justice will reach full implementation in FY 2002.
To address critical biodiversity threats identified by site planning, USAID is expanding its site-focus to integrated ecosystem planning and is working to develop tools that will aid in applying adaptive management to help protect fragile ecosystems inside and outside Mexico's systems of natural protected areas. Development of information and tools that address forest management issues as well as climate change will allow for a better understanding of the interaction of carbon sequestration and conservation. USAID-funded activities will support the promotion of policy reforms to adopt these technologies more widely.
The USAID-supported program to help states prevent HIV/AIDS growth among vulnerable populations will reach all seven targeted priority states. Evaluations will be carried out of the effectiveness of programs in states that were already reached. Research under the joint Mexico-Central America HIV/AIDS prevention initiative will identify highest priorities for USAID assistance, with activities to begin in FY 2002.
In FY 2002, more health personnel along the United States-Mexico border, as well as health facilities in high-incidence areas throughout Mexico, will receive modern equipment and training for direct observation and treatment (DOTS) tuberculosis control. Referral systems will be developed to track and treat TB patients who move back and forth across the United States-Mexico border.
Technical assistance will be continued to provide specialized training to improve the management of private microenterprise finance institutions (MFIs). The program will expand to include more MFIs, to improve delivery of financial services to microenterprises in high out-migration areas, and to increase capacity for specialized financial services to environmentally-related microenterprises.
USAID will closely monitor the Chiapas Peace Process that was recently revived by President Fox. USAID is already working in Chiapas to protect environmentally critical areas and control TB and HIV/AIDS. If requested, USAID will actively consider other avenues of support to advance or consolidate the Peace Process. Any such initiative would require additional funding.
In FY 2002, the USAID-led South-South program, including cooperative activities with the Mexican Assistance Agency (IMEXCI), will transfer Mexican-U.S. development experience to Central America in the environment, wildfire prevention and recovery, watershed protection, and tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Activity Data Sheets
- 523-002 Enhanced Quality and Sustainability of HIV/AIDS and STI Services in Targeted Areas
- 523-003 More Democratic Processes Adopted in Key Government Institutions
- 523-006 Critical Ecosystems and Biological Resources Conserved
- 523-007 Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Pollution Reduced
- 523-008 Sustainable and Effective Institutional Capacity Developed to Diagnose, Control, and Monitor TB
- 523-009 Strengthen Institutional Base for Sustainable Microenterprise Growth by Suporting Mexican Initiatives
Country Background Information Resources CIA Factbook
Library of CongressNational Geographic Country Maps
State Dept. Country Information
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Last Updated on: February 12, 2003 |
