CADCC

Summarizes attached final evaluation (XD-ABN-190-A) of a project (1991-4/97) to establish the Central American Development Coordination Commission (CADCC) as a mechanism for promoting regional cooperation and unity in the international arena. The CADCC has failed, and USAID financial support will be terminated. There are several reasons for this, of which the most significant is that the environment in Central America has changed. When the Sanford Commission, which spearheaded the creation of CADCC, was doing its work from 1987 to 1989, unrest was rampant, three countries were at war, investment was fleeing, and national economies were in a shambles. However, the project was not authorized until the end of FY91, and by that time the sense of crisis had passed. Also, the project was authorized without an implementation plan or design to guide its course, and its sponsoring and support institutions (USAID/ROCAP and the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration, or SIECA) have experienced turmoil, which weakened their ability to assist CADCC. The selection of SIECA as a channel of funds and source of logistical support was not the best. CADCC itself has failed to build

Source: DEC abstract, PD-ABN-190 (1996). The source's own text.