The Biden-Harris Administration highlighted strong U.S. support for democracy in Guatemala recently, sending a delegation led by USAID Administrator Samantha Power to the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo.
The group met with President Arévalo and his new cabinet as well as leaders from civil society and indigenous representatives.
USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Marcela Escobari was part of the delegation. She said the two countries agreed to work closely on shared strategic priorities:
“These priorities are very much aligned with ours. For many years, USAIDs work in Guatemala focused on bolstering job opportunities for young people, strengthening citizen security, improving health care for children, protecting natural resources, and expanding legal pathways for Guatemalans to be able to work legally in the United States; as well as a focus on bringing foreign direct investment to Guatemala, which I think will become even easier under this administration. So USAID will be deploying $133 million in these and other efforts, and we will be working hand in hand with this new government.”
The delegation also met with new Minister of Labor Miriam Roquel to discuss collaboration opportunities under the Root Causes Strategy:
“President Biden's Root Causes strategy allowed us to really double down on things that we knew were working, and our priorities were creating economic opportunity, improving security and strengthening governance. And we have had really impressive results in these areas just in the last three years. We have … helped create more than 165,000 jobs. We've helped more than 100,000 farmers increase their agricultural production, helped bring over $700 million in new sales, and provided nearly 200,000 children under 10 with health and nutrition services. And we are continuing that work.”
During the visit, Administrator Power announced the new Feed the Future of Rural Financial Inclusion program and an initial investment of $6 million. The program will support access to financial tools for women, youth, indigenous and others to help grow their enterprises and invest in their rural communities.
“In terms of its connection to migration, it's clear for us that when there is opportunity at home, people don't feel that they need to look for it elsewhere and migrate,” she said.
“People have come together for a more prosperous Guatemala that can really deliver for future generations. … We're excited to be able to support it,” said Assistant Administrator Escobari.
