SANTIAGO DE CHILE, 13 July 2009: The need to establish a new world economic order and a multilateral framework to oversee this new system was the main focus of attention of former Heads of State and international leaders gathered Monday at Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, headquarters in Santiago, Chile, for a meeting of the Club de Madrid.
The meeting, titled “The Political Dimensions of the Global Economic Crisis: A Latin American Perspective”, was inaugurated by ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, the President of the Club de Madrid and former President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, and the Director of the Economic and Political Development Programme of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, José Antonio Ocampo.
Participating in the meeting are the former Heads of State of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga; Chile, Patricio Aylwin and Eduardo Frei; Colombia, César Gaviria; France, Lionel Jospin; Mexico, Vicente Fox; and Uruguay, Julio María Sanguinetti. Also attending are the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, CAF President Enrique García, among other representatives of international, political, business and academic organizations.
In her opening words, Bárcena noted that although the economic crisis had its origin outside the region, Latin America and the Caribbean have nevertheless been one of its prime victims. The crisis will cause the region to lose much of what it has achieved over the past five years in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction.
– The collapse of the neoliberal system shows us the need to establish a greater balance between the State, the market and citizens so public management may be better organized, she said. This requires public policies with a new long-term perspective in which accountability and transparency are fundamental, she added.
– The momentum to improve governance comes from the crisis. We cannot miss this opportunity, stressed Bárcena. – A new political geometry is being construed in which no one acts alone; the future will not only be shared, but also negotiated, and the region must be sitting at that negotiating table.
The president of the Club de Madrid, Ricardo Lagos, called for an analysis of government efficiency. States must be responsible for and capable of protecting citizens and guaranteeing social cohesion as well as private entrepreneurship, he said.
In this regard, Lagos highlighted the role of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations as fundamental places to address global issues and search for solutions to the current crisis. He also urged for the convergence of different multilateral initiatives “so that there be a more long-term perspective and a new institutional framework may be established”.
José Antonio Ocampo stated that the impact of the economic crisis in the region has been much more commercial than financial. For the region to recover growth, integration is important in order to revitalize domestic markets. However, he added, this process is deeply influenced by politics.
In this context it is vital to have proposals that seek to strengthen international institutions and address issues such as regulation, reforms to the international monetary system, the over indebtedness of some countries and the regulation of capital flows.
Madrid – klubben
The Club of Madrid responds to the demand for leader-to-leader support to confront today’s global, regional and national democratic leadership challenges. It is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democratic values and leadership around the world by drawing on the experience and resources of its Members –more than 70 democratic former Heads of State and Government from 50 countries who contribute their time, experience and knowledge to this mission. The Club of Madrid’s membership constitutes the world’s largest forum of ex-Presidents and ex-Prime Ministers and offers today’s leaders an unequalled body of knowledge and political leadership.
Kilde: www.eclac.org
