New US Grants Complement MCC Compact
May 05, 2008

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Ambassador Charles L. Glazer signs as witness of the Unites States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant for the Chalatenango municipality.

US Ambassador Charles L. Glazer, Salvadoran Foreign Affairs Vice Minister for Salvadorans abroad Margarita Escobar, Chalatenango Mayor Rigoberto Mejía, and the Director of the US Agency for Trade and Development (USTDA) Larry Walther presided over the signing of one of the three grants that will complement the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) projects in the northern zone of the country.

These grants are the result of several US federal agencies coming together to help El Salvador benefit further from the MCC compact and the Central American FreeTrade Agreement.(CAFTA-DR)

• Municipal Infrastructure and Commercial Zone Development in Chalatenango Project – USTDA is providing a $500,000 technical assistance grant to the Municipality of Chalatenango to support the development of municipal infrastructure and commercial zones in the northern region of El Salvador.  The technical assistance will help to develop business, commercial, and industrial infrastructure in Chalatenango to complement the investments being made under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact.

• Northern Zone Development and Investment Plan – USTDA is providing a $345,000 technical assistance grant to the National Development Commission to support the creation of a development and investment plan for the northern region of El Salvador.  The development and investment plan will serve as a comprehensive roadmap of development assistance in the Northern Zone and will identify the gaps in terms of sectors and opportunities that will energize private investments in small and medium enterprises, business support services, and other areas.

• Northern Zone Trade Facilitation Portal – USTDA is providing a $285,000 technical assistance grant to the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES) to support the development of a web portal to facilitate trade and investment in the northern region of El Salvador.  As part of this technical assistance, a series of trade and investment roundtables will be held in the U.S. and El Salvador.