A FEW
INCONTESTABLE FACTS ABOUT VENEZUELA
Prepared by María Páez Victor
for the Louis Riel Bolivarian Circle, Toronto, June 2014
POVERTY
In
1996, poverty level in Venezuela was 70.8% and extreme poverty was 40%.
(National Institute of Statistics)
The UN Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (CEPAL) declared that Venezuela is the country with the
greatest drop in poverty as it fell 5.6% from 29.5% to 23.9%, and extreme
poverty fell by 2% going from 11.7% to 9.7%. [1]()
In
2014 there has been further reduction: poverty level this year estimated at 19.6%
and extreme poverty 5.5%. National
Institute of Statistics (INE), 2014.[2]
Venezuela
is the country in the region with the lowest inequality level, measured by the
Gini Coefficient, according to the UN
Development Program.
UNESCO, the
World Health Organization and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, have all praised the extent and quality
of the coverage of the social programs instituted by the Venezuelan government
covering 60% of the population and almost 100% of the poor.
After the devastating floods that made thousands homeless, between
2011 and 2014, the government built and distributed 550,000 public housing
units all over the country. [3]
FOOD
SECURITY
The UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) has placed Venezuela in the second category of
countries with greatest food security. Venezuela is the 5th Latin
American country with least malnutrition among children under 5 years of age.
FAO
has recognized that in 14 years 13% of Venezuelans have been lifted from hunger
(4 million people) and hunger levels are now near cero. (Marcelo Resende, FA)
representative, press interview to Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN)
18/10/2013)
There
has been a reduction of 58% in child malnutrition. In 1990 it was at 7.7% and
in 2009 it was 3.2%. (Venezuelan
National Institute of Nutrition)
While
90% of the food was imported in 1980, today this is less than 30%.
EDUCATION
UNESCO recognized in 2005 that
illiteracy has been eliminated in Venezuela, having reduced illiteracy to 1%. [4]
In
the region, Venezuela is the 3rd country whose population reads the
most. (Centro Regional para el
Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (Cerlac) 23/04/12)
According to UNESCO, Venezuela is the 2nd
in Latin America with greatest proportion of university students, and the 5th
in the world.
(2014)
There is tuition free education from daycare to
university, with 72% of children attending public daycares and 85% school age children
attending public schools. Ministry of Education, AVN 25/09/2012
ECONOMY
Despite
the 2008 world financial crisis, the Venezuelan economy has continued to grow
at an average that has ranged from 2.5% to 5% GDP.[5]
According
to the Washington, DC based Centre for
Economic and Policy Research, Oil exports in 2013 amounted to $94 billions
while the imports only 59.3%, a historically low record. The national reserves
are at $22 billions and the economy has a surplus (not a deficit) of 2.9% of
GDP. [6]
In
the last ten years, unemployment has been reduced from 11.3% to 7.7% and the
public debt has been reduced from 20.7% to 14.3% of GDP.[7]
Wells Fargo has recently declared
that Venezuela is one of the emerging economies that is most protected against
any possible financial crisis. The Bank
of America Merril Lynch has recommended to its investors to buy Venezuelan
government bonds.[8]
According
to Global Finance and the CIA World Factbook, the Wall Street Journal reported that
Venezuela’s stock exchange is by far the best performing stock market in the
world, reaching an all time high in October 2012, and that Venezuela’s bonds
are some of the best performers in emerging markets.
According
to the influential Petroleum
Intelligence Weekly, PDVSA (the national oil company) is still one of the
top 5 oil companies in the world.[9]
HEALTH[10]
· Infant mortality dropped
from 25 per 1000 (1990) to only 13 per 1000 (2010)
· 96% of the population has
access to clean water
· There were 18 physicians
per 10,000 inhabitants in 1998, today there are 58
· It took four decades for
previous government to build 5,081 clinics, but in 13 years the Venezuelan
Bolivarian government built 13,721 clinics and hospitals (a 169.6% increase)
· In 2011 alone, 67,000
Venezuelan have received free high cost medicines for 139 serious pathologies
· The eye program (Misión
Milagro) has restored sight to 1.5 million people
· Breastfeeding has
increased from 7% to 27% in 2011 according to the National Institute of
Nutrition.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The opposition controls 95% of newspapers, and the
majority of TV and radio stations. The government has 2 TV stations.
There are 475 print, audiovisual and digital
alternative community media, of which 252 are community radios, 4 are TV
stations. [11]
DEMOCRACY
The
former president of the USA Jimmy Carter,
head of the Carter Centre that monitors world elections, has said: “…of the 92 elections that we’ve
monitored, I would say that the election process in Venezuela is the best in
the world.” [12]
The
National Elections Council is
non-partisan and it introduced the world’s first automated voting system.
Since
1998 there have been 18 elections: presidential, parliamentarian, regional and
municipal. The Bolivarian government has lost one.
The
USA National Association of Lawyers concluded
that the Venezuelan presidential elections of 14 April 2013 that elected
Nicolás Maduro as president with 50.61% of votes was “just, transparent, participatory and well organized.”
There
are 31,600 communal councils, 1,500 communes and registered social groups, all
totaling 49,000 according to the 2013 Census of communes.
The
Venezuelan Constitution gives human
rights a central place in law and administration, gives equal standing to
international treaties, has some of the most progressive principles of women’s
rights, indigenous rights and environmental rights. “There is a large consensus both within Venezuela and among foreign
observers that Venezuela now has one of the world’s most advanced
constitutions.”[13]
HAPPINESS
INDEX
In
just one decade, Venezuela advanced 9 places in the UN Human Development Index. [14]
According
to the 2010 Gallup Poll, Venezuela
is tied with Finland as the 5th country with the happiest population
in the world. The Happy Planet Sustainable Wellbeing Index, Global Footprint
Network (14 June 2012), the study of the New
Economic Foundation (24 October 2012), and the World Happiness Report of the University of Columbia, (2012) have all
confirmed it as one of the happiest populations.
OPPOSITION
According
to a report by FRIDE (Spanish think
tank) and the US National Endowment for
Democracy (NED), various international agencies, including NED, have given each year between $40 million to $50 million
to opposition parties and groups.[15]
[1] CEPAL, Panorama Social de America Latina,
2013; Dec. 8, 2013
[2] Venezuela’s National Institute of
Statistics (INE) is a non-partisan institute, highly respected internationally,
that employs professional staff. It reports are accepted by all leading
international organizations of the same function and governments.
[3] AVN, 13/02/2014
[4] Illiteracy cannot be totally eliminated in
any one country, as there will always be people with severe learning
disabilities. By convention, any populations with a level less than 4% are
considered free of illiteracy.
[5] J. Chacón, La economía nacional en el contexto de la crisis global del capitalismo,
27/04/2012, AVN; M. Weisbrot, The Guardian, 21 August 2013; Reports of the
Banco Central de Venezuela
[6] M. Weisbrot, The Guardian, 21 August 2013
[7] C. Muntaner, J. Benach, M. Páez Victor, The Achievements of Hugo Chávez,
Counterpunch, 20/12/2012
[8] Juan Manuel Karg, Rebelion, 2/12/2013
[9] Agencia Venezolana de Noticias, 09/05/2013
[10] C. Muntaner, E. Ng, Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Health in Venezuela
(1999-2010).;
C. Muntaner et al, op. cit, 2012; Venezuelan Health Ministry, ANV 09/04/2014
[11] Ministry of Communications, 19/01/2014
[12] The Real News.com 9/10/2012; M. Weisbrot, Why the US demonizes Venezuelan democracy,
The Guardian, UK, 3/10/2012
[13] Gregory Wilpert, Venezuela’s New Constitution, Venezuelanalysis.com, 27/08/2003
[14] (http: www.telesurtv.net/articulos/2013/03/16/Venezuela-subio-en-el-indice-de-desarrollo-humano-segun-pnud-8411.html)
No comments:
Post a Comment