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President of Costa Rica Underscores “Special Role” that Private Sector Can Play in the Fight against Poverty and Inequality

The President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís, today underscored the “extraordinary role” that the private sector can play in the fight against poverty and inequality, during a presentation he made at the conference of the Latin American Business Council (CEAL, for its initials in Spanish) at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In the presence of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, who welcomed him and hosted the event attended by entrepreneurs from across the Hemisphere as well as many Permanent Representatives to the institution, the Costa Rican President said, “we must recognize that the economic model currently in force has been successful in creating wealth, but it is also necessary to recognize that it has concentrated too much of that wealth.”

These imbalances, the Central American leader added, not only cannot be corrected automatically but continue to grow. “Without an explicit effort, the gap will continue to grow,” said President Solís. “This is not about an ideological debate, which I hope at this point we have overcome, but rather about adopting what I call “enlightened pragmatism,” he said.

President Solís added that it is on this point that the private sector, in partnership and coordination with the public sector, can play an “special role,” such as “promoting the incorporation of youth into the labor market, complementing education in public schools, and generally promoting more inclusive policies.”

Public-private partnerships, aside from creating growth, must “ensure that the market economy is able to grow with stability, fairness and control so that what happened in 2008 does not repeat itself,” the Costa Rican leader asserted, referring to the crisis that began about five years ago. It is a responsibility that especially falls upon governments and politicians as they have the obligation to preserve and promote the “common good.”

For the Central American President, the main scope of public-private partnerships dwells in each country because “it is the responsibility of governments to dialogue with social sectors.” He also underscored the “very important initiatives” implemented by multilateral institutions, such as the OAS and the UN, and other international cooperation agencies to promote collaboration between the private and public sectors.

In conclusion, President Solís said that the keys to the success of public-private initiatives are to “establish a deep relationship that goes beyond the mere corporate social responsibility of the old days,” to recognize the importance of international cooperation, which can help resolve imbalances,” and to ensure that they can “promote trust between the government and its institutions and citizens,” and that one of its main components be “solidarity.”

President Solís, who is on an official visit to the United States, was introduced during the event by the President of CEAL, United States Chapter, Roberto Zamora. Following his presentation, the Costa Rican leader answered questions from the audience.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event will be available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-249/14