Department of Economic and Social Affairs 
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The Plurinational Project on Creating Business and Generating Employment (Latin American Module) provided support to 18 member countries in the form of 31 technical internships, 5 horizontal cooperation activities and 13 direct advisory services to 7 countries to strengthen the operating capability of small- and medium-size business associations. The project organized and held the Fifth Latin American and Caribbean Congress of Small- and Medium-size Enterprise in Lima, Peru. Participating were representatives from 20 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Technical advisory services were provided to the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Small- and Medium-size Industry (CLAMPI) for preparation of a proposal that was then submitted to the IDB Assembly in Guadalajara, Mexico, to carry out four projects that would help this particular sector grow.
External sources were tapped to finance technical missions to Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic to provide small- and medium-size business associations with advisory services on data systems.
In Costa Rica, technical advisory services were provided to the Office of the Director General of Small Business of the Ministry of Labor to prepare technical manuals for maintenance, quality control and production organization in small business.
In El Salvador, the Microentrepreneurial Training School continues to receive support. The school provides training designed to improve the administrative, marketing and credit-management skills of the country's microentrepreneurs.
In Mexico, the Micro-, Small- and Medium-size Business Support Program (PROAME) is being developed to help this sector improve its productivity, develop new product lines, exploit idle capacity, introduce non-polluting technologies and access the international market.
In Nicaragua, the Department continued to cooperate with the National Association of Small Industry (COANPI) to examine the food, furniture and footwear industries.
In Panama, the Office of the Director General of Small Business of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is being assisted with the design, installation and operation of an integrated system that computerizes that Office's operations, including loan records, businesses that are conforming to the promotion laws, the business and accounting record, etc.
In Paraguay, the project for integral social development of the Bernardino Caballero District was completed with implementation of three subprojects. The social organization subproject developed a community organization plan by forming production and consumption committees, establishing training courses for teachers, organizing the youth center and by providing supplies for community health workers, the health center, sports and cultural activities. The production subproject carried out the program involving school farms, blight control, soil conservation, alternative crops, beekeeping, animal breeding and plant health. The infrastructure subproject conducted activities to improve farm-to-market roads, local schools, the latrine construction campaign and the environmental conservation campaign.
The Project on Strengthening Municipal Government for the Sake of Local Development began by teaching small municipalities in the country how to use the municipal land register to raise more revenues for the community.
In the Dominican Republic, technical advisory services are being provided to the Dominican Confederation of Small- and Medium-size Business (CODOPYME) to design and conduct a series of surveys targeted at small businesses to identify areas where technology can be improved, the market expanded, workers trained, jobs created and entrepreneurial skills taught.
In Venezuela advisory services are being provided to the Small- and Medium-size Industrial Productivity Center (CEPROPMI) to promote productivity and encourage quality control in medium-size industry and to conduct seminars and training courses to prepare specialists in this area.