26/10/2022
The cooperation programme between Latin America and the European Union for the improvement of social cohesion, EUROSociAL+, presents the results obtained in this area in the period 2016-2022 in Chile and the Dominican Republic
Group photo of the Chile Dialogue Round Table during the EUROSociAL+ presentation of the country's achievements in improving social cohesion
The Dominican Republic was the last venue of the Dialogue Table of the programme co-led by the FIIAPP EUROSociAL+. This was the III RD-EurosociAL+ Dialogue Round Table held between 24 and 25 October, where the achievements of 31 initiatives of the programme were presented with the aim of promoting inclusive sustainable development, with a gender perspective and a human rights approach.
At the opening ceremony, the Head of Unit for Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Regional Operations of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships, Felice Zaccheo, pointed out that “the regional approach and social inclusion will continue to be fundamental pillars of cooperation between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, in accordance with the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, launched in the Caribbean by Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen on 11 and 12 October”.
The cooperation initiatives agreed between the Dominican Republic and the European Union, in the framework of EUROSociAL+, “have been the result of a dialogue that has prioritised the complementarity of actions and the sustainability of results, with the aim of promoting inclusive sustainable development, with a gender perspective and a human rights approach,” said Zaccheo.
For her part, the ambassador of the European Union in the Dominican Republic, Katja Afheldt, emphasised that “EUROsociAL+ is a very emblematic programme for us. The aspiration to create societies of solidarity and social cohesion are fundamental principles of the European Union’s policies. He added that “fighting inequalities with the aim of leaving no one behind is an ambition that we share with our partners in Latin America, and the Dominican Republic in particular“.
The Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Pavel Isa Contreras, highlighted the importance of the programme and referred to the challenges to achieve quality of life in each territory of the Dominican Republic. “From the MEPYD, as the national focal point of this programme and as beneficiaries of various actions, we are pleased with the results that we will share today. We will continue to promote actions that promote social cohesion, in order to have a fairer and more equitable society.
After the opening ceremony, the Deputy Minister of International Cooperation (MEPyD) Olaya Dotel and the Director of EUROsociAL+, Juan Manuel Santomé, presented the Country Map. This was followed by a discussion on challenges and lessons learned in the framework of the programme, with the participation of the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Mayra Jiménez; Minister Pavel Isa Contreras; the magistrate, presiding judge of the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the Court of Appeal of the Judicial Department of San Francisco de Macorís; Martha C. Díaz Villafaña; and the Minister of Labour, Luis Miguel De Camps García-Mella.
Chile was the previous venue for the Dialogue Table, which took place on 5 October in Santiago de Chile with the participation of authorities and representatives of institutions from the Latin American country to present, together with representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, ECLAC and EUROsociAL+, as well as other cooperation programmes, the systematisation exercise carried out on the achievements of the programme during the 2016-2022 period in Chile.
Welcoming remarks were given by the European Union ambassador to Chile, León de la Torre; the Chilean Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Marcela Ríos Tobar; the Head of Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean, Felice Zaccheo; and the Executive Director (s) of the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation, Carla Guazzini.
The sharing of these results, presented by the director of EUROsociAL+, Juan Manuel Santomé, was a reflection of the cooperation initiatives agreed between Chile and the European Union in the framework and shows the work that has been developed in recent years through horizontal dialogue. This methodology, applied in the EUROsociAL+ framework from the first phase of the project, prioritises the complementarity of actions and the sustainability of results, with the objective of promoting inclusive sustainable development, with a gender perspective and a human rights approach.
After this introductory session, the areas that make up EUROsociAL+ – Governance, Social Policies and Gender Equality – offered talks in which they discussed, deepened and discussed their work over the years.
The definition of the actions that EUROsociAL+ implements in each country culminates in the “Dialogue Tables”, which are spaces for inter-institutional coordination that make it possible to prioritise the demands of the Latin American countries and improve the coherence, impact and sustainability of the public policies that the Programme accompanies. More information here.
