ECNETNews, August 22, 2024: Under the Biden administration, Latin America and the Caribbean have seen a notable increase in U.S. development assistance, particularly benefiting the environmental sector. A recent report indicates that environmental funding has risen in priority, moving from third to second place in budget allocation, a significant shift from the previous administration’s focus.
While government and civil society sectors have consistently been prioritized, the current administration has enhanced funding for environmental assistance. President Biden’s administration is focusing more on biodiversity, starkly contrasting the emphasis placed on agricultural policy and rural development during the Trump administration.
The allocation of environmental assistance has seen a clear shift, with Biden directing 59.4% to this sector—over 10 percentage points higher than Trump’s 48.5% allocation. Under Trump, agricultural policy and rural development consumed 38.2% of environmental aid, while water and sanitation accounted for 8.9%, totaling 47.1%. Conversely, Biden has reduced the agricultural share to 18.1%, while biodiversity funding now ranks third at 9.6%. Multisectoral aid has also increased to 6.6%, whereas the focus on water and sanitation has diminished to 4.1%.
The distribution of aid among countries has evolved as well. Under Trump, four nations—Haiti (20.2%), Colombia (16.2%), Guatemala (14.3%), and Honduras (7.4%)—made up two-thirds of environmental assistance. In contrast, Biden’s administration now allocates aid to six countries, including Colombia (17.6%), Guatemala (11.6%), Haiti (11.5%), Honduras (10.2%), Brazil (6.9%), and Mexico (6.4%).
Currently, U.S. aid distribution under Biden is categorized as follows: 29.7% to Government and Society sectors, 18.6% to Environmental Assistance, 12.1% to Emergency Response, and 11% to Conflicts, Peace, and Security.
The overall aid landscape has shifted, with hemispheric projects now prioritized at 31.5%, followed by Colombia (17.7%), Haiti (9.6%), Guatemala (5.3%), and Honduras (4.7%). Notably, Mexico has dropped from third to sixth place in aid allocation, reflecting a renewed focus on Central American nations.
Additionally, the percentage of U.S. aid to Colombia has sharply decreased from 33.2% under Trump to 17.7% under Biden, highlighting a clear transformation in U.S. policy priorities in the region.
