US enhances environmental assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean has had a greater participation in the development assistance it provides USA during the Joe Biden administration and that has had an impact on the sector environmental which has moved from third to second place in terms of budget participation, sums up a report from the BBVA.

Although, both in the presidency of Donald Trump as in that of Joe Biden, The government and civil society sector ranks first in terms of assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean, while the environmental sector has moved from third to second place in the sectors to which the largest proportion of funding is allocated in this latest administration.

When it comes to the purposes for which environmental assistance has been allocated, differences can also be observed between the Trump and Biden administrations.

Trump focused more on activities of agricultural policy, rural development and water while Biden, on the other hand, has emphasized more on issues of biodiversity.

For example, the area of ​​environmental protection policies is dominant in both administrations, although much more marked with Biden at the helm, since during his government 59.4% of assistance has been allocated in this area, a little more than 10 percentage points ahead of his predecessor, since under Trump environmental protection policies received 48.5% of environmental assistance, the bank adds.

Another point to note is that during the Trump presidency, agricultural and rural development policy (which includes activities such as promoting agroforestry systems and food security) had a greater share of environmental assistance, with the percentage allocated to this purpose during his presidency being 38.2%. Together with activities aimed at providing water and sanitation, which accounted for 8.9% of environmental aid, these two purposes together accounted for 47.1% of environmental assistance.

Under Biden, however, the share of agricultural and rural development policy is reduced, representing 18.1% of environmental assistance, while biodiversity financing, which under Trump was in fourth place in terms of priorities in this area, rises to third place under Biden, representing 9.6% of environmental assistance. Multisectoral aid also becomes more important under Biden, accounting for 6.6% of environmental assistance, while the proportion focused on water and sanitation is reduced, going from 8.9% under Trump to 4.1% under Biden.

Regarding the distribution by country in Latin America and the Caribbean, during the Donald Trump administration, four countries concentrated two thirds of the aid in this area: Haiti (20,2%), Colombia (16,2%), Guatemala (14,3%) y Honduras (7,4%).

Under Biden, six countries now account for two-thirds of environmental assistance: Colombiawhich moves to first position with 17.6%; Guatemala which rose from third to second position with 11.6% of aid; Haitiwhich falls from first place with Trump to third place with Biden with 11.5%; Honduraswhich remains in fourth position with 10.2% of assistance in this area; Brazilwhich was in seventh place with Trump, moves to fifth place with 6.9%; and finally Mexicowhich moved from eighth place with the Republicans to sixth position, representing 6.4% of aid for the sector.

Overall, U.S. aid to the region is allocated 29.7% to Government and Society, 18.6% to Environmental Assistance, 12.1% to Emergency Response, and 11% to Conflict, Peace and Security.

Countries that receive the most collaboration in all areas

Donald Trump provided further collaboration to Colombiawith 33.2% of the aid received, followed by Haitiwith 15.5% and in third place Mexico, with 10.4% of the total received. Hemispheric projects, that is, those that contemplate the participation of countries from Latin America and the Caribbean together with counterparts in North Americarepresented 7.3%, while in fifth place is located Peru with 5.9% of the assistance received.

Biden, for his part, has given greater preference to projects of hemispheric character in generalwith 31.5% of the aid provided so far by its government to the region. Then, in the next position is located Colombiawith 17.7% share, ahead of Haiti (9,6%), Guatemala (5.3%) y Honduras (4.7%).

In this way, Mexico It went from having the third position for the percentage of aid received with Trump to the sixth position during the Biden government, this particularly due to a greater participation of Central America, with Guatemala and Honduras in the current administration. Another point to highlight is the reduction in the participation of Colombiasince while with Trump it represented 33.2% of the assistance received in the region, with Biden its participation has been reduced by almost half, standing at 17.7% of the total disbursed for Latin America and the Caribbean.