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OAS Organizes the First “Diploma Course on Social Protection for the Americas” with Participating Students from 15 Countries of the Hemisphere

  October 6, 2011

The Organization of American States (OAS), through the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN), and jointly with the “Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile” (PUC), today began the first edition of the “Diploma Course on Social Protection for the Americas.”

Up to 30 professionals nominated by the Ministries of Social Development (or related agencies) from 15 Member States of the OAS will participate in the online course, through the “UC Virtual” platform, in modules on social protection, vulnerability, poverty and inequality, as well as tools for the design, management, evaluation and monitoring of programs. The Diploma Course also includes on-campus classes, to be held January 2012 in the facilities of the PUC in Santiago de Chile.

Among the Course’s objectives are: to learn the principal debates and approaches on social protection and their implementation in Latin America, identify the achievements and gaps in social protection in countries of the region, and analyze the impact generated by the diverse instruments of social protection in reducing poverty and inequality; and to acquire conceptual tools and methodologies to achieve significant progress in the design, management and/or evaluation of non-contributory social protection policies.

With the goal of continuing to strengthen the institutional capabilities of the Ministries of Social Development of the Americas to reduce inequality and social disparities, as well as to reduce poverty, the OAS, through the IASPN of its Department of Social Development and Employment, will offer in upcoming years various courses on issues of development and social protection for Spanish-speaking countries as well as English-speaking ones.

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

Reference: E-883/11