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OAS Secretary General Highlights Inequality as Main Challenge in Latin America

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today said inequality is the main challenge in Latin America , despite the region being “much more democratic than before.”

During his participation in the forum of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), titled, “The Future of Latin America: The Vision of Young Leaders,” held in the headquarters of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, the head of the hemispheric organization highlighted that “this is the period of its history in which Latin America has seen the most democracy,” and added that “there never have been more democratic governments than those existing today in Latin America, from the point of view of them being governments elected in regular, free, democratic and competitive elections.”

Nevertheless, he asserted, inequalities persist in the societies of the continent, accompanied by gender and racial discrimination, and the problem is inequality “is incompatible with democracy,” Secretary General Insulza warned, though he made it clear that its origin does not reside “in the political system itself.”

He explained that inequality and crime represent limitations in the region “that prevent politics from being all that democracy wishes it to be,” he explained, giving as an example the generalized discontent among youth about a lack of access to educational opportunities, though there are “immense possibilities.” “Our youth delegitimize governments more and more because they don’t see how democracy is helping their lives. That is the first great challenge in Latin America , and probably others bear some relation to it,” he noted.

Secretary General Insulza also recalled in his remarks that "our States in many cases are still precarious and weak," and though elections are democratic, the exercise of democracy continues to face "important risks." Among them he mentioned a lack of freedom of expression and the excessive concentration of media organizations in the hands of a few groups; limitations in access to justice; and the tendency towards Caesarism evident in some countries of the region.

Nevertheless, Secretary General Insulza said he was optimistic about the future of Latin America , a continent in which governments have grown more democratic over time and where there is more accountability. “Today our governments have to face the consequences much more than before,” he concluded.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-849/11