The Inter-American Development Bank, the World Jewish Congress and the Latin American Jewish Congress are organizing the IV International Congress of Jewish Communities of the Americas to be held in São Paulo, Brazil, Dec. 2-3 and to be focused on the theme of fighting poverty.
The meeting will be inaugurated by IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias; the president of the Latin American Jewish Congress, Jack Terpins; the Mayor of São Paulo, Marta Suplicy; and the president of the United States section of the World Jewish Congress, Evelyn Sommer.
Among the participants will be officials of the Brazilian government and diverse international organizations, business leaders, and several representatives of Jewish organizations of the Americas, as well as persons active in community groups and civil society.
The congress will present a series of initiatives in the fight against poverty and seek new programs and partners for national and regional efforts, along with international cooperation to advance these proposals. The meeting will pay special attention to volunteer work as a strategic instrument to improve the quality of life of low-income populations.
The IDB is participating in the initiative in the framework of a dialogue established by the institution to support civil society organizations in Latin America that are active in alleviating social problems. The Bank has organized dialogues on fighting poverty with leaders of the Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as with Jewish communities.
Previous meetings with Jewish communities in the framework of this initiative have taken place in Washington, D.C., in 1999; in Montevideo in 2000; and in Buenos Aires in 2001