The President of the United Mexican States, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the President of the Republic of El Salvador, Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, held a meeting on May 6, 2022, in San Salvador, in which they discussed political, economic-commercial, cooperation and migration. This meeting took place within the framework of the first tour of the head of the Mexican State to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
President Nayib Bukele highlighted the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between El Salvador and Mexico. Likewise, he reiterated the commitment to continue working closely to deepen them. Both presidents underlined the excellent state that the bilateral relationship has reached and renewed their commitment to consolidate a strategic agenda based on mutual respect, cooperation and productive dialogue.
They agreed on the importance of continuing to promote programs of the Fondo México para el Bienestar and the Programa Mesoamérica sin Hambre, (Mexico Fund for Well-being and the Mesoamerica without Hunger program), so that their implementation has greater territorial coverage in El Salvador, with emphasis on the promotion of food and nutritional security; as well as in the reduction of rural poverty.
They reaffirmed their interest in further expanding economic relations, making better use of the Free Trade Agreement and attracting reciprocal investment. They recognized the need to develop actions that benefit the integration and implementation of strategic road, rail, port and airport infrastructure projects, in order to consolidate regional interconnectivity that stimulates the economic development of both countries and the region.
The presidents instructed the competent authorities to start a dialogue on the possible sale to El Salvador of Mexican fuel, at a preferential price. They emphasized the importance of continuing with strategies to prevent irregular migration and provide a response to its structural causes, through the generation of employment, education and local development opportunities, within the framework of the cooperation of the Comprehensive Development Plan (PDI).
They highlighted the excellent results obtained in El Salvador with the implementation of the Sowing Life and Youth Building the Future projects, both within the framework of the Comprehensive Development Plan (PDI), through which local development and job opportunities have been promoted in El Salvador, contributing to the efforts of the government of President Nayib Bukele to discourage irregular migration.
They agreed to renew the Sowing Life and Young People Building the Future projects, which, together, are benefiting 20,000 producers and young people in the 14 departments of El Salvador. Both presidents discussed the current situation in terms of migration, both in the region and in both countries. They reiterated their commitment to address the issue from a comprehensive perspective, based on human rights, gender, and intercultural equality, and the common good, shared responsibility and non-discrimination approaches, promoting orderly, legal and safe migration.
They agreed on the need to strengthen reciprocal collaboration between the consular and diplomatic representations of both countries, with the purpose of contributing to the facilitation of humanitarian assistance and consular services to their compatriots on the move. The leaders announced the next signing of agreements on customs matters; security and defense, which revealed the commitment to continue raising the level of the bilateral relationship.
The official visit of the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to El Salvador, left important agreements on strategic works that will benefit the generation of jobs and the well-being of the populations in the long term.
“It was a very productive meeting that will be of direct benefit to our people,” said President Nayib Bukele. “We have successful experiences in recent years and we propose to increase them, and take them to entire areas where there is more migration,” said the Salvadoran president.
Visita oficial del Presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador. https://t.co/LrdF0Gv8w4
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) May 6, 2022
Both leaders agreed to work in the shortest time possible to materialize cooperation in customs, security and defense matters, financial support for strategic road, rail, port and airport infrastructure projects, purchase of fuel at preferential prices, implementing the Mesoamerica Hunger Free project, promoting facilitation of trade, attracting investment, preventing irregular migration, and increasing the scope of the Sowing Life and Young People Building the Future projects.
The process to build the Tren del Pacífico is already underway. The plan of the Salvadoran authorities is that this transportation option connects with the Mayan Train, which starts in Mexican territory. Similarly, during the administration of President Bukele, the airline Volaris (Mexican capital) began operations in El Salvador.
President Bukele activated a set of measures to mitigate the impact of global inflation on the economy. These measures include actions to intervene in the reduction of fuel costs.
Regarding the prevention of irregular migration, President López Obrador said he agreed with the position of his Salvadoran counterpart, in that “we do not have to wait, nor do we have to depend on anyone. We have to make use of our right to self-determination” to prevent more people from seeking distant borders to have a better quality of life.
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) May 6, 2022
In fact, as a result of the programs that the Mexican government has implemented in the country, the desire to migrate among the beneficiaries fell by more than 20 points.
The president of Mexico concluded by saying that “we will always have a special treatment for President Bukele and a very fraternal, affectionate, brotherly one, with this worthy people of El Salvador.”
El Salvador is the one that has advanced the most in Sembrando Vida and Youth Building Future programs
One of the topics addressed in the meetings held by Presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Nayib Bukele was the Sowing Life and Youth Building Future programs, which have been better used by El Salvador compared to Guatemala and Honduras, where they are also implemented.
“It fills me with pride and, at the same time, I thank President Bukele for the fact that El Salvador is the Central American nation in which the most progress has been made in the application of the Sowing Life and Youth Building the Future programs,” said President Lopez Obrador.
Sowing Life benefits 10,000 small farmers, from ten departments of El Salvador, who have improved their quality of life, through monthly monetary aid of $250, plus technical support for planting corn, vegetables, fruit and timber trees.
99% of the beneficiaries reported an increase in self-consumption of their agricultural products; while 34% had a positive impact on caring for the environment and 99.1% improved farming practices.
Another important point is that 55% of farmers who had thought of migrating reduced in number to only 0.6%, reports the Presidencia de El Salvador. Thanks to the execution of the program, 77% improved their diet and 75% received an increase in their income; while 74% improved the family’s quality of life and 54% invested in housing, he explained.
In addition to the 10,000 direct participants, the Sembrando Vida program generated 21,256 indirect jobs, President López Obrador said. Regarding the Young People Building the Future program, the Mexican president indicated that there are also 10,000 young people, who are receiving the support of $180 per month, for the purpose of job training in 427 work centers, in administrative areas, commerce, sales, industry and the agricultural sector, among other productive activities; 25% received a job offer in the same center where they were trained and that the percentage of those who planned to emigrate fell from 35.7 to 11.4% and 97% developed job skills that contribute to their country, he confirmed.
President López Obrador’s visit is part of the tour he is carrying out in Central America and Cuba, which also includes visits to Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. The Mexican ruler arrived at the International Airport of El Salvador San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez at around 11 in the morning, where he was received with honors as head of state by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Hill.
Later, he went to the Presidential Palace, where he was received by President Bukele, with whom he held a meeting where they discussed issues on the bilateral and regional agenda, including trade, cooperation, the fight against drug trafficking and migration.
“We have received with great joy our counterpart from Mexico, a person whom we greatly admire, a president who, apart from being well loved by his people, is a benchmark in the world and in Latin America,” President Bukele said in a statement. after the meeting, which he described as “very productive” and whose results “will directly bring benefits to our people.”
The Salvadoran leader stressed that during the meeting they delved into issues such as migration. “We know that it is an issue that we have to solve, the best thing is that our people stay in our countries. We do not want our productive, hard-working people to go looking for prosperity abroad, we want them to stay here,” President Bukele stressed.
“We support Mexico’s proposal to the United States to make a joint plan where we all contribute, according to our economies of course, but we all contribute to solving a problem that in the end belongs to everyone and concerns us all,” he added.
He also thanked the support that President López Obrador has given to El Salvador in its efforts to generate development opportunities, through the Sowing Life and Youth building the future programs, which are currently being carried out in different parts of the national territory.
The Salvadoran president also explained that he and his Mexican counterpart addressed the issues on the agenda of the next Summit of the Americas, which will take place next June in the city of Los Angeles, United States.
“We believe that it is important that the issues of the hemisphere be discussed in a comprehensive manner and in the same way we want things to be resolved, as President López Obrador has said many times, between partners, between allies, between countries with differences of all kinds, in an atmosphere of brothers, respecting the sovereignty of each country,” affirmed the Salvadoran leader.
President López Obrador expressed himself in the same vein, detailing that the region’s efforts must focus on the fight against poverty, inequality, unemployment and marginalization, “which are the deep roots of insecurity, of migration and other misfortunes.”
“Since the beginning of my government, I have advocated for resolving these problems in a lasting way, with absolute respect for the sovereignty of each country. Thank you very much, President Nayib Bukele, for your cooperation. In Mexico, you will always have open doors as a friend,” concluded the Mexican president.
During his visit to El Salvador, President López Obrador was accompanied by his Foreign Relations Secretaries, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon; of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval González; of the Navy, José Rafael Ojeda Durán, and the general coordinator of Social Communication and spokesman for the Presidency, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas.
Mexico agreed to expand the Sowing Life and Youth Building the Future programs, aimed at forging a better future for Salvadorans. Both have made it possible to change the lives of thousands of people who in the past did not have access to this type of opportunity.
“I am very pleased to announce that, at the proposal of President Bukele, the Sowing Life and Youth Building the Future program will be doubled. The Government of El Salvador and that of Mexico are going to contribute the same amount,” said the Mexican leader, during the joint declaration.
In El Salvador, Youth Building the Future has benefited 10,000 people; of these, 44% are women and 56% men. Everyone receives a monthly economic contribution of $180, in order to contribute to their job training, through 427 work centers; working in administrative areas, service, sales, commerce, industry, science and technology and agricultural sector.
Of these young people, 58% were trained in the private sector, 25% in the public sector, and 17% in social organizations. As part of the successful results of this program, 84% of the scholarship recipients had their first approach to the labor market and 25% received a job offer in the same place where they were trained, informed the head of State of Mexico.
“We are removing the seedbed from the gangs, so that young people have the opportunity to study, to work,” emphasized the Mexican dignitary, and highlighted his satisfaction for contributing to the well-being of Salvadoran citizens.
The President of the United Mexican States, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, thanked the people and government of El Salvador for their cordial reception during his visit, through which deep interest in continuing to work closely for the benefit of both peoples was renewed. The Sembrando Vida program recommitted to reforesting spaces and generating thousands of jobs, as well as directly benefiting 10,000 Salvadorans. The initiatives are financed through the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID).
Soledad Quartucci | Latina Republic
Dr. Soledad Quartucci is the founder and CEO of Latina Republic, a 501(C)3 California-based nonprofit organization. Latina Republic is committed to improving the diversity and professional development of storytellers in the media industry as representation matters and affects the stories we tell. Latina Republic makes space for and empowers unheard voices and trains the next generation of leaders in the U.S.
