The Finance and Special Budget Committee of the Legislative Assembly issued a favorable opinion today for the bill containing the 2025 General State Budget, which amounts to $9.663 billion. For the first time, this budget does not involve issuing debt for current expenditure.

The opinion was approved after hearing from officials from various government departments, who explained the allocation of public resources as well as what has been executed in 2024.

The priority areas will continue to be education, health, security, and defense, as they will receive 37% of the total budget, amounting to $3.609 billion. Education will receive $1.535 billion for projects under the “Crecer Juntos” (Grow Together) Law, the “Crecer y Aprender Juntos” (Grow and Learn Together) program, the “Mi Nueva Escuela” (My New School) program, the Digital Gap Reduction initiative, Quality and Coverage Improvement for the “Nacer, Crecer y Aprender” (Be Born, Grow and Learn) program, among others.

Health will receive $1.170 billion to strengthen the “Creciendo Saludables Juntos” (Growing Healthy Together) program and Integrated Health, improve infrastructure and equipment for hospitals and health centers, and other areas. Meanwhile, security and defense will receive $903.4 million.

An allocation of $1.700 billion will go to the Annual Public Investment Program.

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The Government of Costa Rica expressed satisfaction after being accepted as a candidate to join the Pacific Alliance, a bloc in which the Central American country hopes to boost its economy and promote exports.

“We are convinced that with eventual membership in this trade bloc, we will promote the dynamization of our economy and the generation of jobs,” said Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade, Manuel Tovar, in a statement. The official emphasized that joining the Pacific Alliance would lead to increased and facilitated intra-regional trade and investment, while also allowing Costa Rica to project itself to the world as a bloc for the promotion of exports, investment, and the strengthening of regional value chains.

The Council of Ministers of the bloc, meeting in Santiago, Chile, approved Costa Rica’s candidacy for full membership, although a special protocol must still be developed in 2025 to finalize the Central American country’s accession.

The Costa Rican government explained that with the guidance of a roadmap created by the working group responsible for the matter, it will follow a process of exchange with the Pacific Alliance to agree on the Protocol in the coming year.

Honduran authorities have seized more than 26 tons of cocaine so far in 2024, reported Friday the Secretary of Security, Gustavo Sánchez.

During a promotion ceremony for National Police officers in the city of La Paz, in western Honduras, Sánchez highlighted “the progress in the fight against organized crime in Honduras,” which includes “the seizure of more than 26 tons of cocaine, the destruction of over 11 million coca bushes, and the removal of more than 15,000 firearms from the streets.”

He added that these achievements have been reached with the support of the Armed Forces.

The police ceremony was led by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who emphasized that during her administration, which began on January 27, 2022, “the National Police and Armed Forces have dealt significant blows to the drug state inherited from the previous regime, seizing the largest amount of drugs in recent years and destroying thousands of hectares of drug plantations and laboratories.”

Castro also stated that by the end of her term on January 27, 2026, “the police force will meet the United Nations’ recommended standards of 300 police officers for every 100,000 inhabitants.”

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The Secretary of Security mentioned that with the new recruits joining the National Police, the total force has risen to 21,500, 25% of whom are women.

According to Sánchez, 2024 has seen the lowest rate of criminal violence in the last 20 years, although the perception from various sectors differs from official figures.

Human rights organizations report that the country experiences between ten and twelve homicides daily, despite a partial and temporary state of emergency declared in December 2022.