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Madam President of the Republic of Chile,
Honourable Heads of State and of Government,
Honourable Ministers,
Honourable Secretary-General of the Iberian American Summit,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to salute the opportunity, the relevance and the political significance of the introduction of social cohesion and inclusiveness policies as topics for the agenda of this XVII Iberian American Summit of Heads of State and of Government.

As President of the Portuguese Republic I precisely chose social inclusiveness as one of the primary themes of my mandate, endeavouring to muster all the Portuguese in a civic commitment aiming to overcome the situations of inequality in the distribution of income, and those of social exclusion and poverty of a significant part of the population.

Situations of extreme poverty and shocking inequality in the distribution of income are enemies of the respect for human rights, undermine the trust in democratic institutions and inhibit the full achievement of the concept of progress which we crave. Special attention needs to be provided to the social groups which face a greater risk of poverty, such as the aged, the unemployed and the children. .

Governments have a crucial role in this battle. But we must equally recognize the relevance of flexible and innovative remedies, which promote greater responsibility for non governmental organizations and for people in general, and favour a greater rapport between the actions of the State and the initiatives of the civil society.

Poverty, exclusion and inequality in the distribution of wealth are not new issues, especially when we look at Iberian American societies. But, in spite of their structural characteristics, the contexts in which they appear are new and, in many cases, are worsening.

We live in an ever more global world, in the era of the information and knowledge society. It is a political error to ignore its effects over structures and social dynamics and on the effectiveness of policies. If we should insist in the old policies of redistribution of income, if we exclusively trust the actions of the State and the traditional protective aid, we will find it very difficult to achieve the aim for more cohesive, more equitable and fairer societies.

If it is true that globalization can endanger social cohesion, it is equally true that it provides opportunities for the creation of wealth and for participating in the world economy as was never the case in the past. China and India are good examples of this.

In the battle against exclusion and poverty it is fundamental to provide more and better opportunities for all the people to share in the creation of wealth and to benefit from fuller employment. Education has a decisive role. It is also necessary that individuals take a greater part in the life of their communities and in the support of the less favoured social groups.

In Europe, today, the concept of active inclusion is more than ever present. In addition to guaranteeing a minimum level of social protection, what is demanded from the State is, above all, that it creates opportunities for the people to review themselves professionally, that it enables new generations through education and training, and that it promotes the habit of lifelong learning.

State actions are not sufficient for the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Everyone must be involved, since everyone is responsible, and at all levels: in the people’s civic responsibility, in the equitable and inter-aid networks, in the cohesion of local communities, in the greater effectiveness of social policies and in international cooperation itself, providing sense to the concept of a global effort for social inclusion. .

The exchange of views that our discussions provide is an important contribution towards a better assessment of what, in each of our countries and in our relations with each other, can be done to achieve the objective of guaranteeing that economic and social progress reaches everyone, and which guarantees an effective consolidation of open societies based on values of freedom and democracy and on the respect for human dignity.

Thank you