Georgetown: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has called on member-states of the Organisation of American States (OAS) to view the progress made with reduction in poverty and hunger in Latin America with “guarded optimism”. She said that sober appraisals should be conducted of the ongoing challenges in order to maintain the progress.
The Minister was at the time delivering her address at the Plenary Session of the 43rd Regular General Assembly of the OAS in Guatemala.
Since the signing of the Democratic Charter almost 12 years ago, advances have been made in economic growth, poverty reduction, inequality and in achieving macro-economic stability. It has been reported that approximately 50 million people in the region have emerged out of poverty over the past two decades and that the Latin American poverty rate has fallen from 43.9% per cent in 2002 to 28.8% in 2012.
“It is now quite clear that a different set of prescriptions are required for those communities and countries, including most of the countries in the CARICOM region, which are falling behind,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said.
She reminded that while economic growth for 2012 for Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole, stood at 3.8%, the rate of growth achieved by the CARICOM region was a mere 1.5%.
Overall growth achieved over the last five years in CARICOM is below the 6 – 7% which is needed to propel CARICOM into the category of high performing developing countries in the 21st century.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said that the high level of public sector debt jeopardises prospects for medium-term debt sustainability and growth.
“With very few exceptions, such as Guyana, which has managed to double its GDP over the last six years, the prospects for economic growth and sustainable development for the CARICOM sub-region over the short to medium-term gives cause for pessimism. As a result the possibilities for lifting our people out of poverty, creating employment and providing better social services are diminishing,” she said.
She sounded a call for workable solutions to be implemented to address the challenges of small island developing states in the hemisphere.
The Plenary Session focused primarily on the development of a comprehensive policy against the world drug problem in the Americas. The Guyanese Foreign Minister said that there is need for a balanced and a multidimensional approach.
“It boggles the mind that a kilogramme of cocaine paste which can be purchased at the source of production for $650 can be converted to two kilos with a value of $330,000 at the point of retail sale. Of the revenues and profits from the drug trade 1% goes to farmers and producers in source countries, and 65% goes to retailers,” she explained.
The drug trade has enormous consequences for public safety, public health, good governance, social and economic development as well as human rights.
The Minister said that in addition to increased social problems from the drug trade, something not often discussed is the degradation of the environment.
“Imagine that the production of one kilogramme of methamphetamine produces five to six kilos of toxic waste. Right here in Guatemala some 40,000 hectares of forest in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve have been lost due to the activities of drug traffickers,” she pointed out.
She added that recognition must be given to the measures adopted thus far; noting that efforts which have been made at the national, regional and hemispheric levels, have been ineffective and that it is necessary to formulate new approaches to address the problem of drugs.
“To delay is to condemn our societies to continued negative impact on their economic and social development…it is time recognise and to admit frankly that the challenges involved in combating the hydra- headed effects of the drug trade, are goals whose attainment are receding over an ever distant horizon… our policies and strategies must change,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett emphasised.
She reminded too, that the treatment of offenders and the reduction of demand must be critically examined
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