Tegucigalpa, Honduras.- The level of corruption was again the barrier this 2024 so that Honduras did not reach the funds of the Millennium Challenge Account.
As analysts and the same officials anticipated, Honduras once again failed in the assessment that measures the country’s commitment to economic freedom, the defense of democracy and social investment.
This diagnosis, which reviews last year’s state performance (since it is published one year apart), is composed of 20 indicators, of which the current government exceeded 12 in this edition and therefore failed in 8. Here are the results:
Millennium Account assessment
The system of approval of this mechanism works as follows:
(1) The country evaluated must approve at least half of the indicators, i.e. 10 of the 20 points. In this case Honduras complied.
(2) The review should exceed the corruption control indicator by more than 50 per cent. Honduras was postponed here.
(3) The review should also approve the two indicators associated with democratic rights: political rights and civil liberties. In this section Honduras was green, that is, approved.
The stumbling block, in short, is that, in the view of the Millennium Account, the country does not have strong mechanisms to combat or control acts of corruption.
Control of corruption
The score in the control of corruption in the Millennium Account is defined by the results of the Global Governance Indicators (WGI, by their English-languages, Worldwide Governance Indicators).
This is a World Bank measurement that compiles and weighs information from more than 30 research centres, non-governmental organizations, international agencies and even private companies around the world, according to its methodology of analysis.
One of these research institutes (known in English as the World Bank’s methodology) is the World Justice Project (WJP), which annually measures the absence of corruption in each nation.
One of the criticisms against the current authorities is that they have not understood that this indicator not only measures the influence of bribes, political favors or embezzlement of public funds in the executive branch, but also includes other powers and bodies.
Under the magnifying glass is also the legislature (for example, if deputies refrain from soliciting or accepting bribes or other incentives in exchange for political favors or votes in favour of legislation -), the judiciary and police bodies.
Precisely, EL HERALDO Plus published a few weeks ago that the WJP indicator positioned the National Congress of Honduras, led by Luis Redondo, as one of the most corrupt in the world.
Since 2010, Honduras has not approved the Millennium Account’s Corruption Control Indicator, as shown by the graph.
On this occasion, Honduras scored 15 per cent, i.e. it grew 6 percentage points from last year, but is far from the 50 per cent barrier to pass.
Accessing the Millennium Account, a program of the United States government to support poor countries committed to the defense of democracy and economic freedom, means accessing a fund of 215 million dollars for Honduras.
This article was translated after appearing in El Heraldo