Transcript
NEW STRATEGIES TO FIGHT POVERTY
Our region is chained to an anchor called inequality which keeps it in the back of the development race.
The differences between rich and poor in our countries still are the biggest in the world and keep the piñata of prosperity out of reach for most of our people.
It’s also the biggest obstacle for democratic progress and the main reason voters look at their public officials with stubborn skepticism.
In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the venue of the Inter-American Development Bank’s annual meeting, experts from throughout the Americas discuss new strategies so that the tide of prosperity can raise all boats, big and small.
And the debate mainly focuses on how important individual strategies are as apposed to the designs of Washington.
Argentina and Brazil are leaning toward individual solutions.
Roberto Lavagna, Former Minister of Finance, Argentina
"Look I have stated very clearly, in the Argentinean case, and this is the experience I can speak about, the solution to the 2001 crisis, a recovery that was somewhat shocking because of its vigor and strength, happened because Argentina did not accept to follow the programs of the International monetary Fund.”
In fact, Argentina, was the region’s first ever country that defied the Washington Consensus and the conventional wisdom that local solutions were out of step.
And now, it insists the domestic economic model is absolutely fundamental.
Brazil agrees economic growth and political stability must be coupled with initiatives that foster social development.
Patrus Ananias, Minister of Development and Hunger Alleviation, Brazil
“We have learned that throughout history economic growth is a necessary precondition, but that by itself it is not enough in order to help the lower classes and achieve social justice. There will be no peace, sustainable growth or security if we exclude the issue of poverty.”
But these new alternatives to fight inequality also include a more pragmatic line which assumes globalization, including both its positive and negative aspects, is inevitable.
Ana Teresa Aranda, Social Development Secretary, Mexico
“We are convinced that rather than fighting globalization we must make an enormous effort for our population to be prepared, be ready to face the challenges of free markets and be able to narrow the huge gap between those who have everything and those who have nothing, and to reduce inequality, which continues to be a very grave problem in Mexico.”
This continues to be the fundamental problem for our region, and also its main dream, to raise anchors and sail toward more just and equitable waters.
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