Government of Honduras Approves National Budget for the Fiscal Period 2022-2023. President Xiomara Castro highlights that the 2023 General Budget prioritizes education, health and poverty eradication.
On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers and President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro met to deliberate the nation’s general budget. After discussion, the Government of Honduras approved the General Budget of Income and Expenditures amounting in 392,000 million lempiras (15,870.4 million dollars), the Presidential House in Tegucigalpa reported on Tuesday.
The proposed budget will be sent to the National Congress for review and authorization.
The project was approved by the Honduran president, Xiomara Castro, in a session of the Council of Ministers that lasted until midnight on Monday, and will have a growth of 8% with respect to the 2022 budget, the government indicated in a statement.
The Council of Ministers analyzed public investment and the social programs that are going to be promoted this and next year. The Minister of Economic Development, Pedro Barquero, indicated that the 8% increase is lower than projected inflation, which is around 12%.
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The social part of the government’s agenda, such as education, health, human rights and the poverty reduction initiatives, will absorb some 71,000 million lempiras (2,874.4 million dollars), underlines the official statement.
El secretario de Estado @pjbarquero, dio detalles del presupuesto aprobado por la presidenta @XiomaraCastroZ en Consejo de Ministros. pic.twitter.com/748pwItJZY
— Secretaría de Prensa de Honduras (@gobprensaHN) September 13, 2022
With regard to public investment, the new budget would have a growth of 116% in relation to the current one, which means, according to the Government of Xiomara Castro, who took office on January 27, that “there will be resources available to reactivate the economy and social investment.”
President Xiomara Castro’s Statement
“I feel that it should be an obligation of every government to fight to eradicate poverty in Honduras and that the government that does not fulfill that function should be punished,” said the president.
Xiomara Castro, reported this Tuesday that the General Budget for the fiscal period 2022-2023, approved at night, Monday, September 12, by the Council of Secretaries of State, prioritizes investment in the areas of education, health and combatting poverty. HRN reports that in the 1980s, poverty affected 60% of Hondurans; currently the poor exceed 70% of the 9.5 million inhabitants.
“Yesterday we approved the budget, which is aimed, first of all, at supporting a decent education. Of 17,800 schools, 12,000 are destroyed,” President Castro specified.
The president pointed out that every day complaints are filed about schools that are not being repaired. Castro stressed that in the last 12 years, she never heard of demands to build and repair educational centers.
“But since we were elected to govern, in this budget, we are allocating funds for the repair and reconstruction of schools that have been abandoned, so that our children can have a decent education, as they deserve,” the president said.
In this sense, she instructed the head of the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS), Octavio Pineda, to establish an agreement with the Association of Municipalities of Honduras (AMHON), with the aim of quickly rebuilding educational centers so that children of the country have access to quality education.
La Red Solidaria es uno de los programas más insignes del gobierno de la presidenta @XiomaraCastroZ. ? pic.twitter.com/yeufeS3uCY
— Secretaría de Prensa de Honduras (@gobprensaHN) June 21, 2022
In addition, she stressed that the approved budget prioritizes the “Red Solidaria” program, whose purpose is to combat the high rates of poverty in more than 2,000 villages located in the 18 departments of the country.
“It does not seem conceivable to me that, we, Hondurans can see with indifference the poverty and misery that exists in our country. I feel that it should be an obligation of every government to fight to eradicate poverty in Honduras and that government that does not fulfill that function should be punished,” President Castro said.
Likewise, she pointed out that both the environment and health are also prioritized sectors in the budget, for which she stressed that the construction of new hospitals and the supply of existing ones will be supported, so that the population has access to a good health system.
Finally, she indicated that during the time she has been in office, she has worked to provide better living conditions for the population and to dismantle the legacy left by the past administration.
Government of Honduras Approves National Budget for the Fiscal Period 2022-2023
Social programming will capture a good part of the budget; specifically education, health and poverty reduction programs where 71 billion lempiras of the 392 billion will be allocated, according to ConfidencialHN.
The General Budget of Income and Expenditures will be sent this week to the Honduran Parliament for discussion and approval, before the end of December.
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 a reporting, research, advocacy and charitable organization advancing human rights in the Americas. We fill the void in coverage of urgent social, political, human rights, economic and gender inequalities affecting the Americas. Through our allies in Latin America, we highlight contributions, heritage, history, leadership and innovation. Latina Republic reports on stories that integrate local strategies to the betterment of the region. We make space for and empower unheard voices and celebrate the rich histories of Latin America.
