The launch of the mission, announced on radio and television throughout the country, includes the presentation of the new Penal Code, the approval of resources for the Plan to Municipalize Justice (a decentralization program), and the launching of municipal police associations.

President Chávez explained that the new mission includes six areas of action. The first two deal with integral prevention, coexistence and solidarity, and the strengthening of citizen security agencies.

The third aspect relates to the transformation of the justice system and the creation of alternative conflict resolution mechanisms.

The new mission also proposes to transform the penitentiary system, install a national system of services for victims, and provide information about coexistence and citizen security.

AVN / Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 23, 2012

Among the goals of this company, which this week celebrates five years under national control, is to create information centers located in the country, in order to have more sovereignty in internet access.

“Over 85 percent of the content to which we have access is located on servers outside the country, so we must work to create data centers where we can upload content in Venezuela,” he explained.

In a televised interview, the minister said that in 2005 the company invested $302.3 million in projects overseas, compared to just $66.5 million to projects in Venezuela.

“In 2007, when the company was nationalized, only $3.3 million was invested in Venezuela. From that year on, all of CANTV’s dividends stayed in the country,” he said.

He added that, prior to the nationalization, CANTV served the interests of the Venezuelan bourgeoisie, whose only objective was to make as much profit as possible.

“The fiber optics laid in the country were concentrated on the northern coast. The plan of the privatized CANTV was to get the most profit by focusing on areas where people could pay the most. The revolution was able to put in this strategic industry the hands of the people,” he said.

In 2011, CANTV’s profits reached $488 million, three times greater than in 2007. Of that total, $395 million went to shareholders, among whom 9 percent are individual investors and 91 percent is the state.

Over $359 was allocated to the National Treasury for social investment, Fernández said.

Some of the projects financed by the telecommunications company include a digital television service, telemedicine (or e-health), and the Canaima Program, which gives laptops with educational content to school children.

So far this year, almost one million Canaima laptops are expected to be delivered, for a total of 2.6 million computers since 2009, when the program was created through a joint agreement with the Portuguese government.

Minister Arreaza said that the Canaima program may also be implemented in public high schools.

“We are looking at implementing this program in public secondary schools; it’s going to be a technological instrument for this level of education. The laptop model will be modified, it can be a laptop or a pad. By 2013, we expect to distribute them to the first grades of secondary school,” he said.

Increasing Internet Speed

In the second quarter of this year, CANTV is expected to increase the speed of its internet connections from 0.71 megabytes to over 1 megabyte, said the company’s president, Manuel Fernandez.

In a televised interview, he said that such improvements will be permanent and “never stop because the demand for internet continues to grow each day.”

“The investment required in dollars is huge and we are making it. We have identified the areas in which we need to invest,” he said, adding that the current speed standard is between 1 and 2 megabytes.

The number of Venezuelans with internet access is expected to grow from 1.7 million users to 2 million by late December.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 22, 2012

During a phone call with the board of directors of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, President Chávez reiterated that he has approved over $200 million to continue developing the Canaima Project – a program that distributes laptops to children through the Education Ministry – for students in the last two grades of primary school.

He also said he approved almost $48 million to cover the needs of Venezuelan athletes who will participate in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Those funds come from dividends earned since 2011 by state-owned companies such as the agricultural supply firm Comercializadora de Insumos Agrícolas, the Socialist Agricultural Development Fund, Lácteos Los Andes and Corpozulia, among others.

Correo del Orinoco / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 22, 2012

The Central Bank announced last week that the country’s first quarter economic growth stood at 5.6 percent, and a significant boost came from the construction sector “taking off,” as Merentes told the Venezuelan journalist José Vicente Rangel.

The rise in housing construction is easily observed on the streets, Merentes said, highlighting that about one third of that construction is occurring in low-income neighborhoods.

Merentes said that this growth generates jobs and that it is “a dynamic in which commerce and consumption are have also been reactivated.”

He pointed out that international organizations had predicted GDP growth of 4 percent for Venezuela this year, but that right now, the country has surpassed the rate of 5 percent growth estimated in its own federal budget.

Private sector performance in the first quarter of 2012 was strong, with 6.3 percent growth in this area, a rate even more robust than that of the public sector.

He said that right now the private sector accounts for about 60 percent of the country’s GDP, and certain sectors of private manufacturing such as wood and textiles have risen by more than 20 percent.

Regarding the decline in the food industry, Merentes explained that although there is significant production in the countryside, the country is consuming much more than it produces, which is the reason for the imbalance.

He reiterated that there are some sectors with very sustained growth, such as government services, an area that represents the central role of social policies in the country’s economic growth.

In the context of positive growth and lowered inflation, the jobs market has remained stable, with unemployment at 7 percent. Merentes said that the unemployment rate in Venezuela has been fluctuating between 5 and 8 percent due to seasonality.

He said he expects unemployment to remain around 5 percent. A determining factor will be the construction sector, which he called “one of the engines of the economy.”

Single-digit Inflation a Possibility

The president of the Central Bank noted that inflation is diminishing, with the annualized rate now hovering around 20 percent.

Merentes said that single-digit inflation is, however, possible: “it could fall to one digit, but we have to produce more food.”

He reiterated that so far this year inflation has declined, but there are many factors to consider, even beyond monetary factors and the issue of demand. A close examination shows that around 40 products are at the root of rising prices, among them food stuffs such as meat, dairy, wheat products and others.

The Central Bank has a permanent “Single-Digit Inflation Committee” that each week reports on the issues detected within the structure of the inflation rates.

“We will end this year above our budgetary goals. So far this year, [inflation] has fallen, we’re around 1 percent. Last year, the average was 1.8 percent, almost 0.8 percent less. Next month, it could be a little more than 1 percent, last year [at this time] it was 2.5 percent. That is to say, we’re constantly lowering,” Merentes said.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 21, 2012

Giordiani said the results indicate steady economic growth for six consecutive quarters, the highest rate of growth seen in the last 15 quarters.

The nation’s budget is based on an estimated growth rate of 5 percent, Giordani said, which means that expectations have been exceeded.

“With these figures, Venezuela enters a new phase of growth in which we have left behind the six consecutive quarters of decline [prior to the fourth quarter of 2010] caused by the global financial crisis,” he said.

Growth According to Sector

The finance minister said that growth in the first three months of the year was bolstered by 29.6 percent growth in the construction sector, which he called “the second engine of the economy” after the oil sector.

Meanwhile, Merentes of the Central Bank said that the development of housing projects under Mission Housing played a significant role by increasing the need for construction work and supplies, which created new direct and indirect jobs.

He also said oil sector growth in the first quarter of 2012 reached 2.2 percent, while non-oil activities increased 5.6 percent.

The non-oil activities that registered the strongest growth include finance (27.7 percent), trade (7.9 percent), transportation and storage (8.5 percent), government services (4.6 percent), business services (3.7 percent) electricity and water (3.7 percent) and communications (7 percent).

While the manufacturing sector increased just 2 percent on average, nearly 11 related sectors exceeded that level, he said. Cement companies grew 15.8 percent as a consequence of the demand for houses.

Lowered Inflation

Merentes said the increase in the productive sectors is related to lower inflation. The most recent consumer price index report shows a variation of 8 percent in April, and an aggregate rate of 4.4 percent during 2012 – the lowest figure since 2008.

Annual inflation was also down to 23.8 percent in April, after closing at 27.6 percent in 2011.

“This result reaffirms the inflation goal set in the 2012 budget, established at between 20 and 22 percent,” he said.

Merentes explained that to lower inflation, the supply of products has to increase, “especially [in] the food sector.”

Social Investment

Minister Giordani said that Venezuela’s economic growth is the result of inclusive social policies by the government.

“The inclusive social policies steadily implemented by President Hugo Chávez allow us to have a solid basis for growth today, which translates to human happiness,” he said.

Giordiani pointed out that the Venezuelan government has invested about $500 billion in social programs since 1999, and the area of Government Production and Services has seen 37 consecutive quarters of growth, which is the figure of production and services of the Venezuelan government. This has been translated in “social investment in health, education, and now housing.”

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to U.S. / May 18, 2012     

“The percentage of the budget going to education and health has grown, even at times when the global economy suffered. This is because the government has maintained its efforts in the social area,” Eljuri said in a televised interview.

The unemployment rate in Venezuela dropped to 7.9 percent in March 2012, compared to 14.6 percent in March 1999. Meanwhile, during that time, the working population has grown by 3.1 million people.

The 400,000 people that were unemployed when President Chávez was first elected have since found jobs, Eljuri said: “We’re talking about more than 3.5 million jobs created by President Chávez during these 13 years.”

Eljuri highlighted that formal employment has grown since 1999, from 49.5 percent of the labor market to 58.7 percent, while informal employment has dropped accordingly from 50.5 percent to 41.3 percent.

The INE president also said that 1.25 million people are employed in small businesses (some with less than five workers), while 3.7 million are in informal jobs.

Eljuri also recalled that a significant number of people were left without jobs around the time of the 2002 coup d’état against Chávez, a period in which the country’s unemployment rate ballooned to 19.8 percent.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 16, 2012

“This reform allows independent workers to contribute [to social security] without any limitations. Article 6 of the Law on Social Security and articles 6 and 7 of the norm used to contain legal obstacles concerning the number of contributions or the continuity of their payment,” said Carlos Rotondaro, the president of the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security (IVSS).

Under the old system, if a worker became unemployed or began working independently, he or she could continue to social security only if they had already made 250 contributions in the last 10 years, and anyone who stopped contributing for more than six months would be dropped from the system.

Now, with the reform, independent workers such as taxi and motorcycle-taxi drivers, hairstylists, carpenters, artists, and others can voluntarily contribute the equivalent of 13 percent of minimum wage (about $50 per months) or an amount of their choice.

“It’s important to know that this reform will benefit not only the low-income sectors, but also independent professionals,” Rotondaro said during a public assembly about the new norms in a central square in Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela.

Procedures

In order to have access to this benefit, workers must go to any the 44 offices of the IVSS and request the form for independent workers, present an ID, and declare their income so that their contributions can be calculated.

For instance, if a hairstylist wished to pay the first of her contributions today, she could immediately join the social security system and receive the right to a retirement pension standardized to the minimum wage starting from 55 years of age for women and 60 years of age for men.

The April 21 reform helps fulfill the principle of universal social security established in the constitution, which states in article 86 that “All persons are entitled to Social Security as a nonprofit public service to guarantee health and protection in contingencies of maternity, fatherhood, illness, invalidity, catastrophic illness, disability, special needs, occupational risks, loss of employment, unemployment, old age, widowhood, loss of parents, housing, burdens deriving from family life, and any other social welfare circumstances.”

The assembly held in Caracas is the first of many such events to be held throughout the country with independent labor organizations to raise awareness about the reform and ensure that it is fulfilled.

AVN / Press Office / Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 16, 2012

The announcement came during the celebration of the 36-year anniversary of the Foundation for Educational Buildings and Resources (known by its initials in Spanish as FEDES), the agency responsible for construction projects in Venezuela’s public schools.

“Under the revolution we have been creating new construction systems and perfecting preventative maintenance. We have also built new school infrastructure,” Hanson said.

The minister recalled that all construction projects in schools must be approved by FEDES, which is an agency under the Ministry of Education.

“All the state and municipal governments that carry out improvements [to educational facilities] should approach FEDES so it can give the go-ahead for the project,” she said.

AVN / YVKE / Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 15, 2012

At the meeting, it was announced that $1 billion was allocated to the health and pharmaceutical sector for ordinary imports through the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) from January 1 to May 10, 2012.

Stefano Zampa, CEO of the Venezuelan Chamber of Medicines (CAVEME) thanked CADIVI for organizing the meetings, which he said are very important for solving issues.

Representatives also discussed ways to improve procedures for requesting currencies by the health sector, which ranks second for the amount of currencies approved, according to CADIVI’S founding decree. Food, healthcare products and industrial supplies are the top three priority sectors for CADIVI.

Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Ministry of Industry, the tax collection agency (SENIAT), the consumer protection agency (Indepabis), the Chamber of Non-Prescription Medicines Prescription (CAMESIP), the National Chamber of Generic Medicines (CANAMEGA), the Chamber of Medical and Surgical Products, the Pharmaceuticals Chamber, the Association of Importers and Distributors of Lab Equipment and the Association of Distributors of Medical and Dental Supplies.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 14, 2012

So far this year alone, 1.6 million people have undergone free eye surgeries at the mission’s 54 hospitals. With about 5,000 surgeries being performed weekly throughout Venezuela, the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase to 1.8 million by the end of 2012.

Ophthalmologist Yolimar Alberti said Friday in an interview on state television that “we have been moving forward greatly for almost eight years in the area of ophthalmology in Venezuela.”

On May 7, President Hugo Chávez approved over $15 million to continue developing the mission. Alberti announced that the funds will be used to purchase ophthalmological equipment for the 54 hospitals and will also give a new boost to the international agreement through which the program is developed so it can be expanded to other Latin American countries.

The mission already has a bilateral agreement with Ecuador. Since 2005, about 7,000 Ecuadorians have undergone surgery, according to the coordinator of the program in Ecuador, Salome Andrade. His efforts have been instrumental in providing access to ophthalmological services for people living in rural areas of the South American nation.

“Today, I can see again. After 10 years, I feel very happy. Mission Miracle continues making miracles,” said David Monje, an Ecuadorian beneficiary who recently had surgery recently in Venezuela.

Patients travel to Venezuela in groups of 90 accompanied by 10 coordinators, each of whom is responsible for 10 patients.

AVN / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 11, 2012