DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS SECOND FORUM FOR SOCIAL STRATEGIC THINKING

IN LATIN AMERICA: INVEST IN PEOPLE TODAY OR SUFFER CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s statement at the Second Forum for Social Strategic Thinking in Latin America, in New York, today, 26 November:

It is a pleasure to be here today.  This Forum is committed to cutting-edge thinking on social issues and social policy.  And it brings together high-level decision makers.  I wish to thank the Spanish Government for supporting this important effort to articulate a holistic and long-term vision for Latin America’s social agenda.

This initiative was born in June 2007, when ministers and other social policy leaders met to discuss the present and future of strategic thinking in this sector.  Many of you were present. 

In this Second Forum, we are honoured by the presence of many ministers and secretaries of State.  We also have many outstanding economists.  With this type of engagement at such high levels, it comes as no surprise that the Latin America and Caribbean region is emerging as a strong and genuine partner in global development efforts. 

We have witnessed a remarkable rise of a new generation of social policies.  Most of them based on highly advanced strategies, such as community participation, development of social capital and empowerment of poor communities.  New Governments in the region have increased, by a significant margin, their investment in education.

The region has also been exemplary in promoting new partnerships among Governments, the private sector and civil society.  The civil society is extremely engaged in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  Citizens are participating more and more in all areas of life as they demand better attention to poverty and inequality, and higher standards of transparency in Governments.

After a period of growth and stability in most of the region in recent years, Latin American has entered a macroeconomic situation of great complexity, which could have significant social and distributional implications.  Two external shocks have hit the region this year:  increased prices for food and energy, and the onset and deepening of the financial crisis. 

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has projected that there will be between 10 and 15 million more people below the poverty line this year as a result of the food crisis.  There could be an even greater social impact in 2009.

We must add the climate change crisis to these external shocks.  This has significantly increased the vulnerability of many countries in the region.  It also highlights another manifestation of inequality:  the disproportionate impact on poor, vulnerable and isolated populations.

The effects of these multiple crises underscore the importance of designing social protection schemes that are capable of responding rapidly to emergencies.  Current protection systems in the region are inadequate, owing to incomplete and poor coverage.  They lack the required flexibility to expand coverage.

We need to invest in protecting people today, lest we all suffer the consequences tomorrow and beyond.  The effects of an increase in child malnutrition and school dropouts are unrecoverable.  The consequences will be felt widely -– in cognitive development, academic achievement and future job security.  We must prevent cyclical poverty from becoming structural poverty.

If unchecked, the crisis will probably have a negative effect on the Millennium Development Goals.  The region is making significant progress in reducing hunger, child malnutrition and infant mortality, in providing access to safe water and improving gender equity in education. 

However, the region needs to do more to eradicate extreme poverty.  A number of studies have demonstrated that this poverty is unnecessary, as it is mainly caused by inequality.  It is attributable to the deteriorating income distribution. 

The youth are among those suffering most, so this Forum’s focus on young people is timely and appropriate.  Youth make up 24.5 per cent of the total population in the Americas.  They are heterogeneous, with considerable differences. 

Living in the world’s most socially unequal region, young people suffer from the prevailing economic, geographic, racial and gender-based inequalities.  They are disproportionately affected by poverty.  Out of a total population of 104 million young people, 40 million -- an alarming 39 per cent -- live in poverty, and 14 million of those in extreme poverty.

Youth unemployment rates remain high –- and at 16 per cent, is twice that of adults.  Nearly two thirds of all young people have precarious jobs as opposed to formal employment, or are unemployed or inactive -– that is, neither studying nor working.  Only half of all young people finish high school, and 35 per cent of young workers are poor.

The overall picture is truly disturbing:  high and persistent unemployment; early abandonment of the educational system; low levels of training; precarious jobs with low productivity; a rising wage gap between youths and adults and between formal and informal workers; and low levels of social protection.  I ask you to imagine their frustration.

The United Nations family system in Latin America is implementing a series of projects and initiatives aimed to promote a greater participation of the young people in a democratic society, as well as better promotion of their rights.

A regional project in Central America promotes youth leadership in political parties, while another initiative supports a regional Network of University Volunteers for Social Inclusion.  Another initiative works on the development of youth leaders in social and civil organizations, focusing on indigenous (Mayan) youth, young women and youth of African descendant.

The United Nations commitment to citizen security emphasizes the importance of social inclusion of youth as a key pillar for public policies on security.  From a holistic perspective, as well as all our projects in gender, we know that empowering young women and men is essential.

It is vital that we bring all our intellectual power and strategic expertise to bear on this challenge.  The United Nations system, including its presence in the region, will continue to be a strong partner in this effort.  I look forward to working with you in this vital effort.

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For information media • not an official record