Chilean Government introduces the Investment Recovery Advisory Council focused on job creation

This morning, Public Works Minister Alfredo Moreno, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt, Housing and Urban Development Minister Felipe Ward, Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker, and Labor and Social Security Minister María José Zaldívar, introduced the Investment Recovery Advisory Council. This Council was created to help implement the Plan Paso a Paso Chile se Recupera (The Chile recovers step-by-step plan).

"I want to thank the members of this Council, which comprises 34 people, including ministers, undersecretaries, academics, representatives of civil society, trade association, union and social leaders, who are putting all their talent and commitment into helping it achieve its sole objective: jobs, jobs and more jobs," reported Minister Alfredo Moreno following the virtual meeting held from La Moneda Palace.

The Minister explained that due to the restrictions introduced to contain the coronavirus within Chile, 1.8 million jobs have been lost and over half a million have been suspended. "In order to address this situation, we are putting in place a public works investment plan of US$4.5 billion plus over US$24 billion in private investment, which we believe complies with all the standards, can be executed quickly and can generate a significant number of jobs. This Council is dedicated to that task and is collaborating with the urgent task of working together to support many Chilean families.”

Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt explained that the Advisory Council has also focused on ensuring safe working conditions in each sector. "This group is wholly committed to this task and to ensuring that safe working conditions are a priority, as everything else should be adapted to achieve that immensely strategic objective. It’s also very important to ensure effective self-protection and the provision of protocols and to look at staggered work schedules for each sector, as well as streamlining the resumption of business."

Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker added that the unemployment situation comes in addition to "a significant rainfall deficit, expanding agriculture and a growing population. Therefore, it is vitally important that the economic recovery plan will finance 1,600 irrigation projects, executed through the National Irrigation Commission. These projects represent the largest ever investment in irrigation.”

The Investment Recovery Advisory Council has been meeting regularly since July 30 and its third meeting was held today.

The members of the Investment Recovery Advisory Council are as follows:

- Alfredo Moreno (Public Works Ministry)

- Gloria Hutt (Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry)

- Felipe Ward (Housing and Urban Development Ministry)

- Antonio Walker (Agriculture Ministry)

- Lucas Palacios (Economy, Development and Tourism Ministry)

- Baldo Prokurica (Mining Ministry)

- Juan Carlos Jobet (Energy Ministry)

- Juan Manuel Masferrer (Undersecretary for Regional Development)

- Pablo Allard (Universidad del Desarrollo)

- Soledad Arellano (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez)

- Ricardo Ariztía (National Agricultural Society)

- Cristián Balmaceda (Rural Municipalities Association)

- Adriana Castro (Francisco I Committee, San Bernardo)

- Rodrigo Delgado (Chilean Municipalities Association)

- Eduardo Engel (School of Economics and Business of the Universidad de Chile/Espacio Público think tank)

- Antonio Errázuriz (Chilean Chamber of Construction)

- Tomás Flores (Instituto LyD think tank)

- Arturo Gana de Landa (Engineer’s association Colegio de Ingenieros)

- María Teresa González (trade association of electricity generators)

- Erik Haindl (Consultant)

- Diego Hernández (National Mining Society)

- Susana Jiménez (Federation of Chilean Industry)

- Claudia Martinez (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s Economics Institute)

- Gonzalo Muñoz (COP25 Champion)

- Alejandra Mustakis (trade association for entrepreneurs ASECH)

- Ricardo Nicolau (Chilean Engineers’ Institute)

- Fernando Paredes (association of Chilean Municipalities)

- Luis Riveros (Universidad Central de Chile)

- Ignacio Sánchez (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

- Segundo Steilen (confederation of agricultural workers’ unions - Confederación Nacional Campesina)

- Juan Sutil (Confederation for Production and Commerce of Chile)

- Rodrigo Valdés (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s Faculty of Government)

- Ennio Vivaldi (Universidad de Chile)

- José Francisco Yuraszeck (charity Hogar de Cristo)