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Land ownership: to put an end to the takeovers and the resulting legal
insecurity, titles of ownership must be given, notably for a part of
the area revertida (restored area);
Modification of the concept of housing. The Minister used the expression
"decent housing" and considered that the law needed to be amended. Given
that there are in existence dwellings of 24 square metres, and even
smaller ones in some cases (the mission visited some with a surface area
of about 13 square metres), a bill has been submitted to the Legislative
Assembly forbidding the construction of dwellings of less than 36 or
42 square metres.
41.
The mission was also clearly told by the Minister that no evictions were
being or would be carried out, that no dwelling would be burnt down and that
the few persons who had been evicted had been offered alternative solutions.
The aim is to seek legality without jeopardizing the most vulnerable members
of the population.
42.
The Government wants to eliminate within five years the wooden,
insanitary and dilapidated houses in the Canal Zone, in other words 1,000
or so casas condenadas (condemned or abandoned houses), where about
30,000 families are living. One of the proposed solutions is to institute the
"nine for one" system, a financing scheme with 10 per cent guaranteed by the
State and 90 per cent by the bank or private financing sector.
43.
The agency responsible for government activities in the
community development sector is the Directorate-General for Community
Development (DIGEDECOM), established in 1969 and now placed under the
responsibility of the Ministries of the Interior and Justice. When it was set
up, its aim was to promote the development of small communities in Panama,
especially in the marginal areas and in those where great poverty prevails, by
organizing local groups and executing community programmes and projects.
DIGEDECOM has an office in Panama City and offices or workshops in a few
provincial capitals.
44.
In parallel with this programme, a decree of 30 May 1990 set up the
Social Welfare Programme, and the Social Emergency Fund (FES) was designated
as the intermediary between the agencies executing the projects and the
financial institutions in order to attain the objectives of the Social Welfare
Programme. The objectives of FES include:
The creation of sources of employment and income for the poorest members
of the population;
To increase the income of needy groups;
To improve the economic and social infrastructure;
To meet the basic needs of the population.
45.
DIGEDECOM does not have a good image in the community because of its
strong degree of politicization and inefficient management during the
late 1980s, with the result that it does not enjoy determined support from the
present Government. FES began its activities on 24 October 1990, with