Government Denounces FONDEN as Inefficient and Corrupt Legacy; Mechanism Delayed Disaster Aid by Weeks / @Claudiashein @GobiernoMX >>>

#FederalGovernment, #Mexico.- During the morning conference, «Las Mañaneras del Pueblo,» led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the Government of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, reported on the defunct Natural Disaster Fund (FONDEN). It was described as an inefficient and costly mechanism, burdened by a reactive, bureaucratic structure and tainted by corruption in its execution. Crucially, the system failed to ensure a timely response to emergencies, often delaying the release of funds by nearly two months (42 working days), whilst also lacking transparency for citizens.

Secretary of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, explained that FONDEN originated during the neoliberal era, a period when public trusts frequently managed resources with opacity. She highlighted that state governments were obliged to contribute fifty per cent of the funds before the remaining fifty per cent could be covered by the Federation, a process that proved highly cumbersome. Furthermore, she revealed that a significant and atypical sum of 59,606 million pesos (mdp) was allocated in 2018, an election year.

The Secretary detailed that, within that period, an astonishing 46 out of 57 extraordinary declarations were issued for heatwaves, collectively drawing 427 mdp from the fund. Buenrostro Sánchez stated that every activation of FONDEN consistently registered shortfalls of approximately 500 mdp, resulting from irregular actions perpetrated during the various neoliberal administrations. The analysis confirms the urgent necessity of a more effective and transparent disaster response strategy.

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