MAY 17, 2018

The first Comprehensive, Inclusive and Sustainable Development working group gets started

President Sebastián Piñera led the group and urged members to work toward equal rights and responsibilities for men and women. He set a proposal submission deadline of 60 days. Two months into President Piñera’s term, a working group has been established for each of his five national agreements.

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, presided over the first session of the working group on Comprehensive, Inclusive and Sustainable Development. This is the fifth working group set up to work on the National Agreements, fulfilling the President’s commitment on taking office.

The President stated that one of the main objectives is for “this development agenda to be one of equal rights and obligations. Making rights and responsibilities equal for men and women while eliminating all types of discrimination and violence against women are essential parts of truly comprehensive development.”

The working group aims to address issues such as recovering investment, competitiveness and productivity; developing a better capitals market; improving the quality of the training and education system; promoting competition: supporting innovation and entrepreneurship; modernizing the State; and furthering Chile’s insertion in the international economy.

“This agreement is absolutely necessary. Chile cannot just wait for the favorable winds of the international economy to push our ship to harbor. We have to take the oars and do what needs to be done in Chile so that our country recovers the leadership, dynamism and the capacity to grow, create jobs, generate opportunities, improve wages and increase public sector resources for social spending,” said the President.

The group is scheduled to meet every Thursday at the Treasury Ministry, which is responsible for coordinating the working group. They have 60 days to submit their proposals.

The 28-person group is comprised of the current Treasury, Economy, Public Works and Employment Ministers; former ministers Alejandro Foxley, Eduardo Aninat, Manuel Marfán, José Pablo Arellano and Soledad Alvear; former undersecretaries Katia Trusich and Soledad Arellano; economist Andrea Tokman; union and trade association leaders, experts and representatives from civil society.

The National Agreement for Comprehensive, Inclusive and Sustainable Development, also seeks to work toward unity in Chile, probity and transparency in our democracy and institutions, and justice and solidarity in order to overcome poverty.