The Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurría, warned today that in Latin America there is a “very serious” problem of governance, which generates mistrust in political and economic institutions.
At the opening of the Economic Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean, as organized every year by the OECD and the French Government, Gurría emphasized that despite the prospects that the economic recovery in Latin America will begin this year “there are some very disturbing elements “.
“We have several deficits,” he explained, and in particular “a very serious deficit of confidence, which makes the subject of governance very serious,” and that has repercussions on the image that citizens have of the actors of the political system, but Also of the financier.
In order to address this situation, he considered transparency and integrity as “fundamental”, as was the way to impart justice.
He recalled that although in economic terms Latin America “in 2017 looks a little better” – with a growth forecast of 1.2% – will be “below what the region needs to reduce poverty and inequality” that Have increased in recent years.
Noting that the richest 10% of the population accounts for 70%, he said that remedying that situation is not only a political imperative, but also constitutes “a major obstacle to recovery.”
The opening session also included Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said that his country “wants to strengthen its role as a leading economic partner” with Latin America In “a regulated world”.
