Ambassador Ruiz Diaz of Paraguay discusses the importance of poverty eradication within the post-2015 development agenda

On May 30, GFDD’s Executive Director, Ms. Natasha Despotovic sat down with Ambassador Ruiz Diaz Bareiro, the Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the Organization of American States (OAS) for the next edition of the GFDD Global Roundtables. Ambassador Ruiz Diaz, who has over 22 years’ experience as a career diplomat, provided insight on the importance of poverty eradication within the post-2015 development agenda. Touching upon the development
challenges of the Americas and of her native country Paraguay, Ambassador Diaz also commented on her expectations for the next OAS General Assembly which will take place in her country on June 3-5 2014.

Ms. Despotovic began the session by touching upon the high level of poverty that
remains throughout Paraguay (34.7 % of the population lived below the average poverty line as of 2010). Ambassador Ruiz Diaz explained that this issue of poverty had prompted the country to push for the theme of the OAS’s next General Assembly to be “Development with Social Inclusion” which was warmly received by the other states. She saw the meeting as an opportunity to reevaluate the strategic mission of the OAS, focusing on the main 4 pillars, democracy,
human rights, security and social integration development. Stressing that states had failed to redistribute the economic development of Latin America at all levels of society. Indeed, she explained that there was a need for government to come together and resolve this imbalanced situation.

Turning to the declaration that will result from the meeting, the Ambassador explained the need to focus on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and most particularly the eradication of
poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the protection of the environment, equal redistribution of that wealth, and the improvement of health systems and educational systems. She explained that Paraguay has realized the need to address these issues by ratifying a considerable number of legal and policy instruments in the field of gender inequality and domestic violence, as well as HIV/AIDS.

Concluding the session, the Ambassador stressed that there seemed to be a conscious push towards the theme of social inclusion by the international community at large, which has been greatly facilitated by the advent of information communication technology.

About Ambassador Ruiz Diaz
Ambassador Ruiz Diaz began her longstanding and exceptional political career in
1992, when she became a member of the National Constituent Convention of Paraguay, which approved and enacted the country’s 1992 political constitution. In 1998, she was appointed the Chief of Staff for the Vice-President of Paraguay, and transitioned to become the Assistant Minister of Communications for the President of Paraguay in 1999. Finally, in the year 2000 she was sworn in as the Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the OAS, a position she continues to occupy
today.

The session will be structured as an interactive discussion between Ambassador Ruiz Diaz and GFDD’s Executive Director, Ms. Natasha Despotovic that will be streamed on the Foundations’ websites.

About GFDD Global Roundtables
In close association with the United Nations, the Mission of the Dominican Republic to the UN, GFDD organizes regular meetings with UN Ambassadors and other
prominent figures in the international community in an effort to spread the news, knowledge and understanding of other countries, global issues and work of different United Nations bodies to its audience in the Dominican Republic, the US and around the world.

The regular series, GFDD Global Roundtables is also a part of GFDD’s program to support the work of the United Nations and, as a non-governmental institution affiliated to it, contribute to the visibility
and understanding of its work.

Related Links:
www.gfddglobalroundtable.org