El Salvador’s Ministerio de Desarrollo Local (MINDEL) will have a budget of US$37,334,019 for fiscal year 2025, as approved by the Finance Commission, which analyzes the General Budget of the Nation. Minister María Ofelia Navarrete, known as “María Chichilco,” detailed the distribution of these funds, which will be destined to strengthen local development, improve social welfare and optimize the generation of public value in the country’s territories.
With this budget, MINDEL seeks to implement various activities and projects focused on social attention, such as the compensation program for victims of the armed conflict and assistance to populations in a situation of food insecurity. Also included is attention to the day care center in the canton of La Joya, Morazán. In addition, there are plans to strengthen the competencies of the institution’s personnel and implement a computer system to optimize institutional management.
Regarding the distribution of funds, US$3,751,318 will be allocated for institutional management and administration, covering areas such as general administration and financial management. An additional US$4,495,210 will be earmarked for assistance to vulnerable people, including food, humanitarian and technical assistance, as well as compliance with the El Mozote sentence and protection of the rights of the elderly.
The poverty eradication program will receive the largest share of the budget, with a total of US$26,854,771, which will be allocated mainly to support education and health in the neediest communities. In addition, US$1,732,720 will be allocated for the program to compensate victims of human rights violations, and US$412,805 to support local economic development.
Finally, MINDEL will dedicate US$87,195 to infrastructure investment, improving its physical facilities and advancing in the implementation of an Anti-Bribery Management System based on the ISO 37001:2016 standard, in order to ensure transparency and efficiency in the management of public resources.