Executive Secretary of ECLAC Visits Headquarters of the Andean Community

(Lima, 23 November 2010) The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, visited the headquarters of the Andean Community in Lima, Peru, where she was handed the seal of the institution and signed the special visitors' book.

"The time for equality has arrived", she said during her visit to the Andean Community headquarters, and she also called on governments to design more in-depth policies to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

Alicia Bárcena was welcomed at a formal ceremony attended by the acting Secretary-General of the Andean Community, Adalid Contreras, Chancellor of the Simón Bolívar Andean University of Ecuador, Enrique Ayala, and officials of the institution.

"We sincerely believe that the region has reached the stage where it is urgent to tackle inequality, and not just poverty.  We are not the world's poorest continent, but we are the most unequal", stated Ms. Bárcena.

Citing examples such as Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the ECLAC Executive Secretary declared that Andean countries have made major efforts to narrow gaps of inequality.  She pointed out that it was important to make way for an inclusive productive transformation, and that ECLAC and the Andean Community both have a contribution to make in terms of work and ideas.

Adalid Contreras welcomed the Executive Secretary, and highlighted the huge challenge that the region was facing and "for which we need to be very strong and share the work among various institutions".

Following the meeting, those involved reaffirmed the commitment to creating synergies to make use of the institutional capacities of the two organizations in a way that adds more value to actions carried out for member countries.

For any queries, please contact the ECLAC Public Information and Web Services Section. E-mail: dpisantiago@cepal.org; telephone: (56 2) 210 2040.