Mexico City.- USAID (United States Agency for International Development) funded projects are essential for democracy, as they contribute ideas and policies that change society in many ways, said Jene Thomas, director of that mission in Mexico.
“It is part of what USAID does, strengthening civil society. In general terms, this is the ability to manage and ensure that its projects are not only successful from a technical perspective (…) but a model for others in civil society,” she said at the closing of the program “Awareness and Opportunities for Women Deprived of Liberty” at the Museum of Tolerance.
“Their work (USAID) in Mexico and around the world is essential for democracy, it is important for experts who have solutions and ideas, policies and refoundations, even for public policies like this program that changes the world in many ways in big ways and that do not have the possibility of finding their own financing.”
He stressed that the Agency’s role is to support the capabilities of those who have the opportunity to change a society, with resources that are transparent.
“From a financial perspective, it is difficult to manage human resources, and the truth is that it is very difficult, because we expect them to be better managed, they are subject to international standards for everything, with transparency,” he stressed.
“At USAID, we are guided by the values of integrity, respect, inclusion and empowerment, and we seek these same values in the local partners with whom we work.”
She explained that USAID financed the La Cana project, a social plan that seeks to create job opportunities for women in prison, through the implementation of programs and workshops aimed at their personal development, as well as work and training for the same, in order to promote a reintegration process that contributes to reducing the rates of recidivism and crime in the country.
This morning, during his morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that he will send a letter to his counterpart Joe Biden regarding the funding that the United States has provided to organizations opposed to his government, such as Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI).
“I am going to send a letter to the President of the United States, President Biden, on this issue, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also going to issue a diplomatic note on the same issue, because we believe that there is open interference by the United States Government in matters that only pertain to the sovereignty of our country,” he said.
He announced that he will present a series of legislative initiatives to ensure that campaigns against the interests of the majority of Mexicans are not used with the people’s own resources.
“Because when taxes are deducted from donations, the income does not reach the public treasury and cannot be used for the development of the country for the benefit of all Mexicans. Instead, these resources are returned to the country and are used for factional purposes,” the Tabasco native claimed.
During the morning press conference, Pablo Gómez, head of the organization, announced that, during this six-year term, MCCI received 96 million pesos from the United States Government and 299 million pesos from companies and individuals in Mexico.
Thomas was questioned at the event about this issue, but said he is prohibited from speaking to the press without permission from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
#funding #NGOs #defended
