The purpose of the Equity Promotion Section is to support the efforts of OAS Member States in the formulation of policies and the development of cooperation actions aimed at combating poverty, making economic, social and cultural rights effective, and promoting social development with equity. 

It is one of the Sections of the Department of Social Inclusion, of the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity (SARE).

SPE objectives: 

• Promote dialogue and generate hemispheric consensus among the institutions in charge of social development of the OAS Member States for the priorities to be addressed from the multilateral space offered by the OAS. 
• Strengthen the institutional capacity of national social development agencies in the design and implementation of effective policies and programs to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities. 
• Facilitate cooperation in social protection and promote the exchange of promising practices based on the identification of the specific needs and priorities of the countries, through the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN) 
• Generate knowledge bases and disseminate information on public policies, laws, programs and good practices of the Member States aimed at promoting social development with equity. 
• Monitor the progress of countries in guaranteeing economic, social, cultural and environmental rights. 

Work Lines: 

Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Social Development 

The Equiity Promotion Section is the Technical Secretariat of the meetings of Ministers and High Authorities of Social Development. Among its responsibilities is the production of technical inputs for the planning, programming and development of ministerial and high-level meetings within the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI). 

Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI). 

The Equiity Promotion Section is the Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee on Social Development (CIDES) whose purpose is to strengthen inter-American dialogue to support the formulation of policies and the development of cooperation actions in the field of social development, in particular to combat poverty and discrimination in the hemisphere. Likewise, CIDES follows up on the mandates of the Summits of the Americas and the agreements made at the Meetings of Ministers and High Level Authorities of Social Development, identifies multilateral initiatives, and contributes to the execution of OAS policies in matter of solidarity cooperation for social development. 

CIDES Working Groups: 

All Member States have the opportunity to join the Working Groups created for the implementation of the Action Plan with the ultimate goal of promoting cooperation between countries to strengthen their institutional capacities on issues such as: multidimensional poverty and social protection; participating and benefiting from activities like training, technical workshops; cooperation/technical assistance projects, knowledge production, etc. 

Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN) 

The Network seeks to help countries strengthen their institutions and build their capacity to combat poverty and reduce inequality. Through IASPN, the countries of the Americas can improve hemispheric cooperation in social protection, whether at the bilateral or multilateral level. The IASPN facilitates cooperation links, systematizes the lessons learned, and disseminates these experiences among the IASPN community of practice and learning.  

Working Group on the Protocol of San Salvador (WGPSS) 

The Equity Promotion Section is the Technical Secretariat of the Working Group on the Protocol of San Salvador (WGPSS) whose task is to monitor progress in compliance with economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, based on a methodology with progress indicators. During the analysis, recommendations are issued aimed at strengthening the capacity of States to guarantee these rights and providing concrete tools for monitoring and improving public policies.