Hillary Clinton writes about Funes Inauguration: June 2nd, 2009

Translated by Sister Cities

 

The inauguration of the new president of El Salvador is a testimony to the strength and durability of democracy in the Americas. Since the election of Mauricio Funes this year, we have been witnesses to a peaceful transfer of power between two parties that used to be in conflict and to a government that obeys the will of the Salvadoran people. In the rest of the Western hemisphere, democratic elections and free market economies have become the norm in the last 15 years. These developments show the dynamism of our region and its potential to demonstrate greater global leadership in the 21st century.

But while we celebrate this progress, we also should recognize what President Obama has called “A critical moment for the people of the Americas.” To fulfill all of the potential of the region’s people, we should build on the electoral victories, and assure that democracy and free markets complete their promise and bring better opportunities and material benefits for people on all levels of society.

The urgency of this work is accentuated by the global economic recession. In our region, income disparity continues to increase; very few children finish their education; the women, the rural farmers, the people of African decent and the Indigenous are still trapped in the lowest levels of the economic and social ladder with few opportunities to rise.

Yesterday in El Salvador, I joined with other leaders from all over the world to celebrate the historic inauguration of President-elect Funes, and the promise of democracy to transform the lives of the people. I also met with a dozen ministers from countries in the Western Hemisphere, to build upon the work done in Panama last December and return to launching the Pathways to Prosperity program, an initiative that looks to go beyond commercial integration. Likewise, it looks to assure that the benefits of the free market and the recovery and economic growth reach the most vulnerable and marginalized people in society.

This is a topic of shared responsibility. The nations of the Americas are united by geography, history, culture, politics and economy. And while these ties have brought great prosperity to some– including the United States– we are conscious that the economic process in the hemisphere will be held up if the poor become more poor and the middle class reduces, or if the groups that are historically marginalized continue to be isolated from the national, regional and continental markets. Paraphrasing the old saying: When the sea rises, we should make sure that all the boats float.

Every nation in our hemisphere shares the responsibility to make sure that this process is achieved, and to go beyond the rhetoric to arrive at results.

Together we must offer opportunities for education and preparation that our citizens need to be able to compete and control their own economic destinies. This is the reality in the US, just as it is in the whole American continent. The teaching of foreign languages is a particularly powerful tool that opens doors and unifies people much beyond borders and markets.

We can work together to offer access to credit and simplify rules with the goal of helping people start and strengthen their small business. When we prepare and support our business leaders, including women and minorities, we will propel a growth that is more widespread and will create new jobs.

We can create new forms of associations that have not been made before, to get closer to governments, businesses, sub-regional organizations, communities of our citizens living abroad, and other leaders in order to use the resources and talents that had never been taken advantage of before.

We can also invest in clean energy that offers new employment possibilities and new opportunities in the whole region, as well as in the United States.

Trade that is free and fair, and is coupled with better inclusion, will benefit all.

The United States is committed to being a integral and equal member in the Americas. At the same time we recognize that one cannot apply the same solution to all of the problems, because it does not correspond to the realities of the times or the world in which we live. We recognize that we will not always be in agreement about all subjects. But differences of opinion and perspective are not a justifiable reason to stop strengthening our associations in areas of common interest, so that we can build a future of prosperity and shared progress. It is for this reason that we should unify and work hand in hand.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Published in La Prensa Grafica on June 2nd, 2009

 

 

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