The Plan “El Salvador: productivo, educado y seguro” 2014-19 [El Salvador: Productive, Educated and Safe, 2014-19] has a focal point in the philosophy of “Buen Vivir” [Good Living], with an emphasis on the consolidation of democracy and the construction of a state of law. The plan’s three priorities of productive employment, education and effective citizen security are translated into 11 objectives, with special attention to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The first and seventh objectives focus on the economy and respect for the environment. Policies under these objectives foresee production diversification and improving competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises. They also envision energy sources diversification, with priority given to renewables and the integrated management of the hydric system.
The Development Plan also tackles social inclusion and equitable access to quality public services. These include projects for the modernisation of educational institutions and improvement in school attendance, the creation of the National Integrated Health System and the consolidation of the Universal Social Security System. Moreover, El Salvador adopted a national Multidimensional Poverty Index in 2015. It consists of five dimensions (childhood and adolescence; housing; access to work; health and food security; and habitat) and four indicators for each dimension collected with the Encuesta de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples [Multipurpose Household Survey].
At the heart of the plan remain the increase in citizen security, the use of national culture to achieve social cohesion and a state focused on its citizens and driven by results. These objectives may lead to policies to strengthen local police, the programme “Yo Cambio” [I Change] for safe prisons and the National Defence System.
In terms of public financing capacities, El Salvador’s total tax revenues were 17.9% of GDP in 2016 (vs. 22.7% in LAC and 34.3% in the OECD). El Salvador signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters in 2015, but the latter has not entered into force.
El Salvador’s international co-operation priorities at the national, regional and global levels are aligned with the Five-Year Development Plan 2014-19. Priority areas for international co-operation projects include social protection, such as labor market interventions on young population, social insurance, social assistance, public health and education; economic growth, regional integration and trade; and security and crime prevention. As a recipient of international co-operation, the country’s most frequent partners are Spain, Luxembourg, the United States, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, the European Union and the United Nations System. As a provider of South-South Co-operation, El Salvador collaborates with the majority of the countries in LAC.
The government launched the strategies set out in the Plan “El Salvador Seguro” [A Safe El Salvador] in partnership with the United States in 2016. Among them, it includes the integration of the National Council for Citizen Security and Coexistence (CNSCC in Spanish). These actions are being implemented together with the other countries of the Northern Triangle (Honduras and Guatemala). In co-operation with Japan, El Salvador aims to develop an institutional framework between 2016-21 to ensure integrated management of the Olomega and El Jocotal Lagoons, as a model approach, to promote conservation and wise use of wetlands in El Salvador.
