Venezuela's achievement of Millennium Goals via social investment: "A world in which we all win."

[Peace Patriot]

This article contains a transcript of a speech by Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, Jorge Valero, at a UN conference on Millennium Goals attended by 189 countries. The end of the article has additional remarks from various leaders. Evo Morales' statement is particularly strong--he calls for an end to IMF blackmail of poorer countries. And the UN General Assembly president praises Venezuela as “an example to the world” for its compliance with the Millennium Goals (which mostly have to do with the reduction of poverty and greater democratic inclusiveness).

Jorge Valero is particularly blunt about why so many countries have failed to meet their Millennium Goals, with a blistering attack on "market totalitarianism" for its impact on human rights and on the development of poor countries. He criticizes "the casino economy" created "with the complicity of the world's most powerful governments and the Bretton Woods institutions," and describes the Venezuelan "alternative model of development, that is humanist and performs deep structural changes in favour of the excluded":

-----

Ten years after the Summit where the Millennium Development Goals were approved, the results are disappointing. The fulfilment of these goals is seriously threatened.

Most developed countries have not fulfilled the commitment of allocating 0.7% of their Gross National Product to Official Development Assistance.

The global economic and financial crisis of capitalism of recent years has created more poverty, more inequality, and injustice.

The financial economy exercises hegemony in the world and increases the accumulation of billions of dollars without creating any good. It is the casino economy. It has subjected States, and intends to destroy the public sphere, privatising everything, from the public services to the war.

Market totalitarianism prevents the exercise of human rights and the right to development. In this context, there is no right to work or healthcare, only labour market adjustments, or private companies that provide health insurance. There is also no right to food, which depends on the international market that has turned food into objects of speculation through future transactions.

The reduction in social spending has affected the ability of States to ensure economic, social and cultural rights of the peoples. Not even the most vulnerable sectors of developed countries can escape the perverse effects of the capitalist crisis. A crisis caused by financial speculators, with the complicity of the world's most powerful governments and the Bretton Woods institutions.

The Bolivarian Revolution under the leadership of President Hugo Chávez Frías, promotes an alternative model of development, that is humanist and performs deep structural changes in favour of the excluded.

Although our country has not escaped the negative effects of the crisis of capitalism, social investment has increased and, today, more Venezuelans have better living conditions.

Social investment has become a national strategy to achieve sovereign and integral development and, therefore, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. 60% of total tax revenue, between 1999 and 2009 - has been earmarked for social investment. We are moving towards a universal social security system.

The Social Missions in favour of the most excluded sectors of society have helped to achieve, in a massive and rapid manner, social inclusion.

The poverty rate fell from 49% in 1998 to 24.2% in late 2009. And extreme poverty fell dramatically from 29.8% in 2003 to 7.2% in 2009.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has recognised that Venezuela is the country that has reduced inequality the most in the region.

The unemployment rate in Venezuela fell from 15% in 1998 (before the start of the Bolivarian Government), to 6.6% in December of 2009.

The promotion of gender equality and greater involvement of women in economic and social matters in Venezuela has already been achieved. State policies entrench training and equal participation of women in public life. Four (4) of the five Public Powers that exist in Venezuela are chaired by women: Legislative, Electoral, Judicial and Moral.

In 2001 Venezuela reached the goal of drinking water coverage. And in 2005 the target in the service of wastewater collection was met.

In our country, we are advancing in the universalisation of rights related to identity, food, health, education and employment.

Venezuela was declared a territory free of illiteracy by UNESCO in 2005. Furthermore, Venezuela will achieve before 2015, the universalisation of primary education, a reduction in the mortality of children, a reduction of maternal mortality, a reduction in the spread of HIV/AIDS and will reverse the incidence of malaria and dengue.

In Venezuela, we are moving toward a democracy of quality, focused on the interests, needs and hopes of our people. It is a participatory and protagonist democracy where political freedom is exercised and the benefits of development are enjoyed.

The Bolivarian government promotes Latin American and Caribbean integration, based on the principles of cooperation, solidarity and complementarity. The Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of our America (ALBA) and Petrocaribe contribute to the eradication of poverty and to overcoming inequalities and unemployment in our region. Venezuela contributes towards sister countries in the continent in order for them to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Venezuela has regained full control of its natural resources. All basic services are considered basic human rights. The resources of our country, managed in a sovereign manner, have allowed for the creation of a Bank of the South and the Bank of ALBA. State policies have become instruments for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and for the promotion of independent and autonomous development, without the tyranny of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Against neoliberal globalisation we propose the globalisation of justice and equity. Against the looting and the abuse of countries we propose fair trade, in a world in which we all win, through solidarity and partnership.

Under the leadership of President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has met most of the Millennium Development Goals. Within the framework of the full exercise of sovereignty and self-determination, we have opted for Venezuelan Socialism, in order to create a society where justice, equality and solidarity reign, with full respect for human rights and democratic freedoms.

Mr. President,

Our Bolivarian Revolution is geared towards the full realisation of social, economic, and cultural guarantees, fully consistent with the view expressed by the Liberator Simon Bolivar at the Congress of Angostura in 1819: “The most perfect system of government is that which results in the greatest possible measure of happiness and the maximum social security and political stability”.

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5657

-----


"A world in which we all win" is not what we have here. In the U.S., we have a world in which a tiny minority--the executives and investors of multinational corporations and war profiteers, international banksters and the super-rich--win, and the rest of us lose, big time. These entities have no loyalty to us or to our country. Their goal is to vastly increase their own wealth and power, on an exponential basis, forever--at our expense and the expense of the rest of the world. They are anti-democratic in the extreme.

Truly, it is refreshing to hear an alternative view--that everyone deserves and can achieve a decent life, if we all cooperate and contribute to the common good. This is a view that is, of course, entirely muffled by our corpo-fascist press, who speak for the "casino" operators of our brutal, "dog eat dog" system, and revel in demonizing Hugo Chavez and other leftist leaders. Our leaders may sometimes give lip service to "a world in which we all win" but I think that most of us know, by now, that they don't mean it. In Venezuela, and other countries of the south, the leaders are ACTING ON IT, not just spouting hypocritical lies. We should be cheering them on. They are doing quite well, actually. And we should also study how the people in these countries have put leaders into office who are responding to the will of the people.

Granted, our problems are inherently more complex and inherently bigger, and involve a "military-industrial complex" that is the bane of the world and may well be our downfall. I don't underestimate the problem of changing this country--of restoring real democracy here (beginning with throwing out the corporatized, privatized vote tabulation system), and fairness for all (our "New Deal," writ larger). But neither did South Americans seem to have much of a chance a decade ago. Now they are on a new and better path, with a widespread leftist democracy movement stretching across the continent--Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and into Central America (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala). How have they done it? We should be asking that question.

[naaman fletcher]

1. sounds great

And a lot of good things have been achieved in Venezuela. However, with increasing power interruptions and reduced energy production one has to wonder if the early social gains are giving way to declining production due to theft and inefficiency. A change of leadership (replaced by other progressives) would be a good thing to clean house a little bit.

[Peace Patriot]

2. I haven't seen any headline about "increasing" power interruptions,

and we can be sure that the Associated Pukes would be on it, if it were true.

They have FAILED to cover the IMPORTANT news story (given the rightwing "talking point" about blackouts they've so fulsomely reported) about the Chavez government's immediate and strong action to stop the blackouts, re-organize the hydro-electric power industry, repair infrastructure and invest in thermo-electric energy. They were also helped out by Mother Nature, with an end of the drought. The problem is not "increasing." It has dramatically decreased.

"Early social gains"? How about cutting poverty IN HALF, as of 2009, and cutting extreme poverty by over 70%, also as of 2009? How about doubling high school enrollment, and providing free education through college? "Early"? You put someone in school "early" and LATER they contribute. That's the way it works. It's a long term investment in PEOPLE. How about starting out the Bushwhacks' Great Depression with very low debt, very high cash reserves, low unemployment and other positive indicators? Could that be why the Venezuelan people have just kept voting for the Chavez government, all this time?

Your proposal is very nifty. "...replaced by other progressives." Where is that animal to be found in Venezuela--"other progressives"? The only thing the opposition seems able to come up with are master thieves or tea-party-ish nutballs. A challenge from within? That would be like a Democrat challenging FDR in the midst of the "New Deal." Not likely--unless Chavez/FDR were to be caught on TV molesting little boys. (Now there's an idea for Langley to work on!) (Speaking of Langley, are they grooming somebody, do you think? And will they be able to keep that person's hand out of the public till until they can get him/her installed?)

I am not happy with the paucity of ideas, lack of credible leaders and sleaze of the rightwing in Venezuela (or here). It is, indeed, unbalanced. But the sleazy rich and their covert sponsors have only themselves to blame. It is not Chavez's fault, or the fault of the left, that people don't trust anybody else! Nor does Chavez have any obligation to stand down. The people overwhelmingly voted to let Chavez run again, if he chooses to. It would be only his third term. (FDR got re-elected four times.) And creating an equitable society takes TIME, after so much mismanagement, neglect and looting by the rich. Chavez gets a lot of flak from the left, as well as often vicious flak from the right (all over TV). He is probably the most scrutinized president in the world. And he hasn't done anything out of line (that he didn't have constitutional or legislative authority to do). He's going to have even more scrutiny after these legislative elections, because the rightwing opposition is not boycotting the elections this time, and will probably win about a third of the seats. They can proceed to give him all kinds of scrutiny (and trouble) in the National Assembly.

In some ideal, platonic world, it might be "best" for another leftist leader to emerge. If nothing else, it might prevent a rightwing snapback on term limits, like happened here, where the Republicans rammed through a 2-term limit on the president through Congress, after FDR died, to prevent a "New Deal" from ever happening here again, and to start to undo the one we had (which they have very nearly accomplished). But that is not something that Chavez, his government and his 60% majority in Venezuela can really consider. To them, the revolution--the creation of an equitable society--needs Chavez, just like the "New Deal" needed FDR. And, in any case, countries aren't governed by theory. What might be theoretically best is irrelevant.