- Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda introducing to a Joint Meeting of the OAS Permanent Council and the Inter-American Council for Development a draft resolution, entitled: “Establishment of a Joint Working Group to Eradicate Poverty and Combat Inequality and Social Exclusion in the Americas” on 30 October 2024.
By Sir Ronald Sanders
I am honoured to introduce this draft resolution for the establishment of a Joint Working Group on the Eradication of Poverty, Combatting Inequality, and Social Exclusion in the Americas.
[Today], we have a defining opportunity to address poverty, one of the most persistent threats to stability and growth within our hemisphere.
I extend my deepest gratitude to the co-sponsors -Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and the 14 member states of CARICOM – whose commitment and collaboration have made this resolution possible.
Together, we are stepping up to address poverty, which not only impacts economic resilience and stability but threatens the dignity and well-being of people across the Americas.
Poverty is not only a social issue; it is a foundational threat to the economic resilience of each of our nations and our collective progress.
Exacerbated by climate change, poverty’s impact is deepening: as extreme weather events grow more frequent, communities are displaced, and livelihoods are destroyed.
Those already vulnerable are made poorer, creating an ongoing barrier to building resilience in our nations and in our hemisphere.
In today’s interconnected world, poverty respects no borders. It destabilizes societies and breeds challenges that impact every corner of the Americas.
As long as poverty exists, our region remains vulnerable to irregular migration, crime, and youth violence – issues that weaken the foundations of our states and compromise our shared goals.
Addressing poverty is not only a moral imperative but a strategic one that requires a united response.
This draft resolution represents a historic turning point for our institution.
The establishment of the Joint Working Group will, for the first time, bring our region’s poverty alleviation efforts under a single, coordinated body that streamlines and strengthens our initiatives. We must seize this opportunity to eliminate inefficiencies, focus our resources, and ensure that every dollar, every resource, and every ounce of energy is used effectively to eradicate poverty.
This resolution affirms a critical truth: no government can address poverty alone.
True and lasting change will only come if we engage all sectors – civil society, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, academia, and each one of us as citizens of the Americas.
This collaboration also allows us to harness expertise and innovation across the Inter-American system, reinforcing our poverty reduction efforts and helping to make them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
It would also allow the Joint Working Group to collaborate with the international institutions and global initiatives, such as the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.
Distinguished colleagues, this resolution has been shaped by more than a month of intensive consultation and discussion.
It has also undergone one of the longest and most thorough deliberations in an open-ended meeting of all member states last Thursday, lasting almost seven hours – more time than has devoted to many other resolutions.
The draft respects the diversity of our member states, acknowledging each country’s right to implement the recommendations of the Joint Working Group in alignment with its unique capabilities and circumstances.
It is in this context of extensive consultation and mutual respect that this draft resolution is before us today.
By endorsing this resolution, we will send a clear message to the people of the Americas that the OAS, as their institution, and its member states, stand united and determined to uplift the vulnerable, break the cycle of poverty and exclusion, and lay a foundation of opportunity and resilience for all.
On behalf of the proponents of the resolution and the delegations that supported it by helping to make it relevant to all sections of our societies, including women and girls, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, and older persons, we call for full support of this resolution, to demonstrate our collective deep commitment to eradicate poverty and to create a more stable and prosperous future across our hemisphere.
Madam chair, on that basis, my delegation respectfully proposes that this Resolution, to “Establish a Joint Working Group to Eradicate Poverty and Combat Inequality and Social Exclusion”, be submitted to a vote immediately.
The Resolution was adopted by acclamation.
