in the last few years, significant success has been achieved, due to a new and more comprehensive strategy combining structural developments, social programs, and an aggressive police intervention via occupation of many favelas by specialized law enforcement units.  

in fact, though not a development program per se, the deployment of the polícia pacificadora - upp (pacifying police) acted as catalyst for other programs to work faster and more effectively.

at a federal level, the most important overall development program is the pac - programa de aceleração do crescimento (program for the acceleration of growth), introduced by former president luiz inácio lula da silva in 2007, that acted as a framework for many other state and city programs.