World Forum: State reform is crucial to redressing inequalities

Criado em 12/12/13 19h09 e atualizado em 12/12/13 19h18
Por Carolina Sarres Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – A structural reform in State through the creation and implementation of public policies is crucial to overcoming inequality in Brazil, stated this Thursday (Dec. 12) the participants of a seminar on inequality reduction, held as part of the World Forum on Human Rights. Education was also mentioned as key in enforcing human rights and achieving social and economic balance.

Márcio Pochmann, former president of the Institute of Applied Economic Research and current president of the Perseu Abramo Foundation, said, “The current State is not compatible with the leap necessary to face inequality and human rights violations. The articulation of public policies proves necessary in the 21st century so that new political majorities can arise which are capable of using the State on behalf of a superior society.”

In his view, the State’s public policies were deconstructed as a result of the neoliberal paradigm, which assumed that the States were a problem and the markets the solution to this problem: “There has been a regression in the process of intervening against inequality. The results were more inequality and more poverty.”

According to Pochmann, among the major challenges in reducing inequality are education and the dissemination of global knowledge, as opposed to specific knowledges, which are more highly valued nowadays: “What we produce in science today does not allow us to work on the causes, but on the consequences. Post-modern theories fragment reality and give importance to the knowledge of experts, who know increasingly more about increasingly less. We need to build a new world with a focus on the whole, not the parts.”

In the view of Flávio Comim, consultant for the United Nations and former economist from the United Nations Development Programme, it is a mistake to believe that only the victims of discrimination and inequality are familiar with the cause. This, in his opinion, can be overcome through education: “It’s a valid starting point, but, in reality, the possibility [of correcting this mistake] lies in education.”

Former member of the Franciscan Order and liberation theologian Leonardo Boff was expected to take part in one of the seminars, but was unable to travel to Brasília due to health problems. He sent a message to those who were participating in the forum, asking for respect and acknowledgment towards our neighbors: “Everything that deserves to live deserves to exist. We’re children of the Earth. This is why it’s so important to take care of our fellow human beings so that we can all keep the flame of human rights alive.”

The Forum started on Tuesday (Dec. 10) and is scheduled to end on Friday (Dec. 13), when topics such as the transversality of human rights, the fight against violence and the development of human rights culture are to be addressed. Over the last few days, conferences, debates and activities were held and were attended by authorities, intellectuals and professionals renowned internationally. Over 10 thousand people have registered for the event.

Edited by Carolina Pimentel / Lícia Marques
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira