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II Summit of the Americas

Santiago de Chile, April 18 - 19, 1998

The II Summit of the Americas cited the need to expand efforts to improve living conditions for the hemispheres population as one of its guiding principals. Additionally, the Summit acknowledged that previous successes in economic growth and development are owed in large part to cooperation between countries. Consequently, heads of state and government agreed to pay greater attention to those sectors and countries that find themselves most vulnerable in the face of globalization. Without such steps this phenomenon would undoubtedly further increase the disparities between this group and the rest of the world.

The Declaration of Santiago set the triumph over poverty as its top priority. Since research shows that the positive economic growth experienced recently has not resolved the problems of inequality and social exclusion present in the hemisphere, it was decided to focus on the elimination of those obstacles that prevent the poor from having access to adequate nutrition and to develop higher quality social services to help offset the effects of this situation.

The Plan of Action of the II Summit of the Americas highlighted the importance of international cooperation to improve the performance of national poverty and discrimination projects. For this reason, heads of government and state have entrusted national chapters of international organizations and multilateral cooperation agencies to support those programs that come out of the Plan of Action of the II Summit of the Americas.