Aprobada Ley de Descentralización del Estado de Honduras

This law is the result of years of efforts by various organizations, including FOPRIDEH, AMHON, and the Government of Honduras, with the support of international cooperation. The decentralization process in Honduras began in 2001, with the establishment of the Unidad Técnica de Descentralización of the Secretaria de Gobernación and the Asociación de Municipios de Honduras (AMHON). The process continued in 2002 with the PRODEMHON project, financed by Cooperación Española. Since then, various reforms have been implemented, including the approval of the Ley de la Carrera Administrativa Municipal (Ley CAM) in 2010 and the reform of the Ley de Municipalidades in 2009. The Policy of Descentralización was approved in 2012, after a long process of consultation and coordination. The Ley de Descentralización was also approved in 2016, following a new process led by the Comisión Interinstitucional para la Descentralización del Estado (CIDEH), which included the Secretaria de Desarrollo Humano, Justicia, Gobernación y Descentralización (SDHJGD), AMHON, and FOPRIDEH. The approval of the Ley de Descentralización is considered a significant achievement, as it marks the culmination of years of efforts by various organizations and stakeholders. However, the implementation of the law and the development of its regulations are considered to be the next steps in the decentralization process. The Secretaria de Desarrollo Humano, Justicia, Gobernación y Descentralización (SDHJGD) has been working to simplify the procedures for obtaining personería jurídica for organizations of the civil society. The process has been streamlined, and the requirements for registration have been reduced. The SDHJGD has also established a new procedure for the registration of the junta directiva, which includes the submission of a written request, a convocation of the assembly, a certification of the election of the junta directiva, and a photocopy of the identification cards of the members of the junta directiva. The payment of transferencias municipales for 2016 and 2015 has also been a priority for the Government of Honduras. The Secretaria de Finanzas has paid a total of L. 1,357,328,063.32 million lempiras to the municipalities for the months of January to June 2016. However, there are still 60 municipalities that have not received payment for the second trimester of 2016 due to the lack of presentation of Informes de Rendición de Cuentas and Informes de Proyectos to the SDHJGD. The Government has also honored payments pending from the 2015 management, totaling L. 667,524,938.92 million lempiras, representing 10.80% of the 11% annual transfer of 2015.