DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Venezuela, with a per capita income which in 2005 surpassed the 5000 Dollars, is not traditionally considered a Cooperation- to-the-Development Country However, in spite of the fact that the economic crisis of 2002-2003 has been overcome, remarkable inequities remain regarding the wealth distribution.
Numerous international donors have therefore kept or undertaken help programs. In fact, even today nearly 47% of the population lives with an income that rates it under the poverty level. Furthermore, despite an unemployment fall compared to the previous years, in the year 2005 it resulted superior to 10.9 % of the population (to this purpose it is necessary to have in mind that almost half of the working individuals work in the informal sector).
The economic difficulties that affect a great number of Venezuelans are reflected on marginalization and criminality rates which remain very high. In order to solve the serious social problems that affect the Country, the Government has put forward extensive programs of intervention in the public sector, particularly in the health and the education sectors, and created working positions in micro companies and cooperatives, called “missions”. Among these, “Robinson”, for the alphabetization of nearly one million people living in the most marginalized areas of the Country; the “Ribas”, for the least favored population to obtain a high school diploma; the Sucre Mission, for the democratization of the access to the university education; the “Barrio Adentro” mission, for solving health and social problems of the least favored population; the “Vuelvan Caras”, to alleviate the unemployment problem through the preparation of workers in the agricultural and industrial sectors; the “Mercal” mission, for commercializing food products at low prices and the “Negra Hipólita” Mission, against extreme poverty.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The Venezuela Country Strategy Paper of the European Community 2001-2006 has identified two main sectors for the intervention:
a) the reconstruction of the areas affected by the 1999 flood and the prevention of new disasters;
b) the economic cooperation, particularly in the fishing sector. Furthermore, the EU cooperation aims to issues related to the environment, human rights, drugs, research, and development.
ITALIAN COOPERATION
The Italian cooperation intervention in Venezuela is inserted in the framework of both the “Guidelines” given by the Government and the orientation by the E.U. Country Strategy Paper.
Nowadays, two projects are being carried out promoted by the NGO “CESVI”.
The first one is directed to the “Support to the reactivation of the cacao sector in the Barlovento region”. This initiative was originated since the 1999 natural disaster took place and is developed in the Venezuelan state of Miranda, particularly in the Barlovento sub-region, a great plane extension whose economy is based on the agriculture, tourism, and local commerce. Before the 1999 flood, 60 % of the population of the area could be considered poor, and 30% in extreme poverty. After 1999, the poor and extremely poor percentage has remarkably increased. A great number of such population lives from the cacao harvests, which represent 10% of the cultivated soils of the region. Most of these cacao cultivators (85%) own land lots consisting on 3 hectares, whose productivity has drastically decreased during the last years. The purpose of the intervention promoted by the NGO “CESVI” is to impulse the economic development of the Barlovento Region, by supporting the cacao production, which represents by tradition, culture and market potential, the central axis of the local economy. The main objective of the program is to increase and improve the cacao production in the small farms of the Barlovento region. The second CESVI project, put forward after the strong storms occurred in February 2005 - which caused serious damage above all in the poor and marginal areas of the city - regards the assistance and collaboration to the foundation “Fundación Caracas para los niños”, dependant on the Metropolitan Borough of Caracas, for an emergency intervention in three host houses for children in social risk, highly affected by the abovementioned storms.