At a Central American security conference in Guatemala, the U.S. pledged a rise in aid, but called on regional elites to pay their share to make the region safer.
At the conference, held in Guatemala, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would raise spending to $300 million.
Officials said that some of the money was new, and some was repackaged from other pledges, according to the Associated Press.
"Businesses and the rich in every country must pay their fair share of taxes and become full partners in a whole-of-society effort. True security cannot be funded on the backs of the poor,” stressed Clinton.
As InSight Crime has pointed out, low tax rates in Central America impede the effort of governments to fight crime. Countries such as Honduras and El Salvador are considering raising a special security tax to fund law enforcement efforts.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos pressed for regional cooperation at the summit, proposing regional information collection centers in Latin America to better track illicit weapons.
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