It is my honour to join Michelle Bachelet Jeria in opening the First Latin American Conference on Social Cohesion, which includes the participation and analysis of Chilean, Latin American and European experts, with whom we will discuss the great challenges surrounding this vital issue of integration. This will no doubt make it possible to have a broad and fruitful discussion about this crucial issue for our societies.

First of all, I would like to thank our President of the Republic, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, for being here. Her participation demonstrates the importance social cohesion has for national policy.

This has been an effort that we've undertaken as the Presidency of the Senate, but it would not have been possible without the firm institutional support we have received from EUROsociAL, to which I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude and recognition for their work.

In addition, with the support of European cooperation and that of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, this conference had the goal of redefining the strategic partnership between the two regions,which has materialised in forms of cooperation which promote regional integration on the basis of boosting horizontal cooperation in the region, stimulating the transfer of knowledge and experience between Latin American countries.

Social cohesion today is emerging as an expression of the concern of public officials, intellectuals and citizens at large over the inequality that has persisted in our countries—despite our economic growth—and which threatens social justice and our democracies in a direct way.

There is a strong conviction worldwide that achieving the type of economic development that generates stable growth—resulting in inclusion, income distribution and social protection—requires the support of a solidly cohesive society in terms of these objectives, and one with a capacity to incorporate its diversity into a pluralistic culture.

Latin America is a region characterised by inequality, a reality that imposes technical and political challenges on us which must be preceded by a deep reflection on its causes before we can confront its consequences. This is the reason for the importance of this First Latin American Conference on Social Cohesion, which aims to be this space that opens up for debate between public officials, experts, diplomats and citizens. Where everyone has a place and inclusion is a constituent element of a new society.

Europe has travelled down a road towards social cohesion which was not free of problems and difficulties. But this experience has no doubt generated experiences of great relevance for enriching our conversation. That is why this conference also aims to be a space for dialogue between the different Latin American and European parliamentary delegations and experts.

For this reason, today more than ever, we have the historic opportunity to advance towards a society with guaranteed social rights, as the patrimony of full citizenship, so that we don't go backwards in the face of this vulnerability. One which recognises the capacities human beings acquire and expand thanks to access to essential rights, so that men and women can develop their life projects and, likewise, collaborate in the development of their societies.

I have the conviction that a cohesive society requires a deep democracy with prestige, that has the respect of citizens, which allows it to undertake the necessary transformations through its institutions and respecting the rule of law. That is why we are starting this conference by asking ourselves as public officials “How can we improve the quality of democracy to advance towards social cohesion?”.

Social cohesion is thus a result of politics and economics rather than an independent process. And at the same time it is a support so that these can generate identity, commitment and a culture of citizenship.

Therefore I consider it necessary to formulate a new political and social compact that ensures the existence of institutional, fiscal and political spaces for implementing economic, tax, educational, labour and social reforms.

Along these lines, I would like to recognise President Bachelet and her government for the challenge they have assumed, and which we support in the Senate, to move forward with structural reforms such those being undertaken in taxation, education and labour policy. All of them necessary for this new compact that will allow us to move towards a more egalitarian society, where social cohesion is the expression of this process of change, which will benefit each and every Chilean man and woman.

Source

Senado de la República de Chile