1 st PLENARY SESSION OVERVIEW OF POLITICAL STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE INTERAMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION Sofialeticia Morales Garza, Director Unit for Social Development and Education Organization of American States

Fight against Poverty The Hemispheric Challenge of Fighting Poverty is based on: Global Commitment (mandates and goals) Inter-American Program (actions) Hemispheric Commitment (mandates and goals)

Desafío hemisférico de combate a la pobreza se sustenta en: MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 Fight against Poverty Global Commitment (mandates and goals) Inter-American Program (actions) Hemispheric Commitment (mandates and goals)

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.” “Overcoming poverty and discrimination requires the application of comprehensive policies that are defined and applied by the state with the full participation of all sectors of society.” “We commit to further efforts to reach international development goals, especially the reduction by 50% by the year 2015 of the proportion of people living in extreme poverty”

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.” “The right to universal basic education and access to secondary, technical, and vocational education are key elements in overcoming poverty as vehicles for social and economic mobility” “Ensure, by 2010, universal access to and completion of quality primary education for all children … reaffirming the commitment to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005.”

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “To establish greater collaboration with the private sector and civil society organizations to work towards development and poverty erradication” “Recognizing the important role of participation by civil society in the consolidation of democracy and that this participation constitutes one of the vital elements for the success of development policies ” “It is crucial to strengthen civil society's responsible and organized participation in setting criteria, making decisions, and effectively implementing policies for overcoming poverty and discrimination.”

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “It is crucial that a sustained inter-American effort be made on the basis of cooperation and the sharing of experience in pursuing social development, using the partnership mechanisms now in place in the Hemisphere, particularly horizontal cooperation among member states” “¨Our rich and varied traditions provide unparalleled opportunities for growth and to share experiences and knowledge and to build a hemispheric family on the basis of a more just and democratic international order.” “We confirm our commitment to support international cooperation to solve international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems”

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term” “Acknowledge the need for development financing… recognizing that debt servicing constitutes a major constraint on investment for many countries in the Hemisphere ” III Meeting of Ministers of Education, August, 2003 “To explore the possibility of debt-for-education swaps”

MILLENNIUM GOALS 2000 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS 2001 INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1997 Fight against Poverty “Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non- discriminatory trading and financial system” “Free trade, without subsidies or unfair practices, along with an increasing stream of productive investments and greater economic integration, will promote regional prosperity ” XIII Conference of Ministers of Labor, 2003 “We acknowledge the existence of specific and sensitive labor problems that take emerge in the integration process and free trade… we follow with interest these processes, as well as its social and labor impacts”

INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION OBJECTIVES Strengthening Inter- American Dialogue on Development Identifying Specific Areas for Cooperation Plurinational Cooperation Projects 4 Priority Lines of Action 4. Program to Combat Poverty and Discrimination 1. Modernizing Public Institutions and Social Management 2. Strengthening Mechanisms for Participation by Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Discrimination 3. Promoting and Financing Social Investment

4 Priority Lines of Action INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1. Modernizing Public Institutions and Social Management Create an integrated, pluralistic, participatory, and efficient system that guarantees social justice for the entire population

What has happened from 1997 until today? Continuous strengthening of the commitment and political will of governments to take on more responsibility in social matters. Greater consolidation at the institutional level: ¤ Strengthening of ministries in the social sector while creating spaces for civil society participation. (Social Triangle) ¤ Creation of a new kind of social ministries (Min. of social planning -Chile, Brazil..) ¤ Reassessment of the role of the Social Investment Funds. Continuous program and management innovations in the 90s: ¤ Comprehensive programs with social and local focus (Educ. Health and Food) ¤ Decentralization of Social Programs - municipalizatiom. ¤ Design of integral information systems that are socially accountable in their use of funds, monitoring and evaluation. ¤ Design of administrative transparency and anticorruption programs. INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 1. Modernizing Public Institutions and Social Management 4 Priority Lines of Action

2. Strengthening Mechanisms for Participation by Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Discrimination Fighting poverty and discrimination is a responsibility of government and civil society Individuals, the private sector, labor, political parties, academics, and other nongovernmental players and organizations INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 4 Priority Lines of Action

Establishment of a mechanism of NGO certification and civil society participation within the Summit of the Americas process. Increased awareness among international citizens regarding the world's development problems. Growing public opinion in national and international social policies. Increased opportunities for Private Sector to participate within a framework of “Corporate Social Responsibility”. Joint work between Unions of Employers (CEATAL) and Labor Unions (COSATE) within the framework of the XII and XIII Inter-American Conferences of Ministers of Labor. Reaffirmation of the need for community participation and social accountability in programs to fight poverty. Continued strengthening of hemispheric NGO networks. INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 2. Fortalecimiento de los mecanismos de participación de la sociedad civil en el combate a la pobreza 2. Strengthening Mechanisms for Participation by Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Discrimination 4 Priority Lines of Action What has happened from 1997 until today?

3. Promoting and Financing Social Investment The state has an irreplaceable part to play in social investment for the neediest populations INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 4 Priority Lines of Action

What has taken place from 1997 to the present? Social spending continues to increase throughout the region Official Development Assistance has decreased. Increase financial and technical cooperation for development Focus on debt alleviation as a critical factor Promote more coherent strategies among the Monetary, Financial and Commercial international systems that work to support development. To reduce the inequality gap and overcome conditions of poverty Ministers of Education and Labor should emphasize the need to create hemispheric mechanisms to more effectively concentrate resources through debt swaps for social investment Changes in the composition of spending with a greater emphasis placed on human capital (education, health, social security) Monterrey Consensus (April, 2002) on funding for development opens new opportunities and reaffirms the world’s commitment to: INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 3. Promoting and Financing Social Investment 4 Priority Lines of Action

INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION 4. Program to Combat Poverty and Discrimination That governments share and publicize their experience and their accomplishments in meeting the challenges of poverty and discrimination.

4 Priority Lines of Action INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION What has happened since 1997? 4. Program to Combat Poverty and Discrimination The establishment of focalization systems and the follow-up of programs that combat poverty with inter-sectoral visions are broadly promoted. Programs that provide integral assistance to vulnerable groups, responding to the new profile of urban poverty, are implemented by Social Investment Funds and by the Ministries of Social Development. A greater coordination is required to face the new institutionalization of the social sector. Greater relevance is given to the design and execution of productive and trade projects that emphasize the promotion of employment. Horizontal exchange of information between the Social Investment Funds and institutions that fight poverty, such as the Social Network, are strengthened.

INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION The lines of action and the priority themes remain applicable, but it is necessary to add new challenges. The Program can be complemented with priorities and mandates from the Summit of the Americas Process and the Ministerial Meetings. It is important to emphasize the inter-sectoral aspect of social polices (education, culture, labor..), especially in the integration processes The premises of the Monterrey Consensus should be included in the Program. Some conclusions and recommendations

INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM TO COMBAT POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION Three themes have become especially relevance since the Program was approved: 1)The need to frame development within a respect for cultural diversity. 2)The social and labor dimension of the integration and free trade processes, with emphasis in strategies to generate employment and in relation to FTAA. 3)The burden of foreign debt in public expenditure and the need to execute alleviation programs, sustainability and debt swaps to invest in social programs. Some conclusions and recommendations