Statement by H.E. Marcia Helena Carvalho Lopes Minister for Social Development and the Fight Against Hunger

High Level Plenary of the General Assembly on the Millenium Development Goals

New York, 22 September 2010

(check against delivery)

Mr. President, It is an l~onor represent President Luiz 11iicioLula da Silva at tliis meeting of higl~est to global interest. After seven and a half years of President Lula's goveniment, Brazil 11as consolidated a model for fairer and more equitable econo~nicgrowth, wit11 social participation and inclusion. We are thus repaying our immense debt to the Brazilian people and achieving excellent results in seeking to meet the MDGs. Mr. President, In spite of the sectorial advances in some countries, it seems clear that, if the current trends are maintained, we will not achieve all the MDGs by 2015. It is up to this meeting, therefore, to identify the necessary and urgent strategies to accelerate tile international community's efforts to nieet the Goals. tlie Brazil considers, however, that n~eeting MDGs will not bc possible without the allocation of significant additional financial resources in a stable and predictable manner, particularly to tlie poorest countries among us. developnient, in particular, their commitment Few developed countries bave fulfilled the agreements to pron~ote tlieir to allocate 0.7% of GDP to official development assistance. Brazil believes that all countries most f~11filI international obligations in this regard.

It is our onderstanding tliat international cooperation must be accompanied by substantive reforn~of the area of governance. We also consider it necessary to overcome international economic system, including in t l ~ e tl~e obstacles presented by agricultural subsidies and tariffs. by restrictive payments and by onsustainable debt.
Mr. President. Brazil's progress is tlie result of a set of structored, nationwide social policies that count with the active participation of civil society. We set a inore ambitious goal for ourselves than tlie one establislied in 2000: to eradicate hunger and to reduce extreme poverty by three-quarters by 2015. Tliis goal was reaclled in 2007 and surpassed in 2008, \\,hen the level of extreme poverty reached 4.8%, less than one fifth ofthe 1990 level of 25.6%. In 2008, we also retlucetl our cou~itry'shistorical inequality, wit11 Brazil's GIN1 index reaching its lowest-ever level of 0.544. The Lula government put a wide-ranging social protection system in place, reaching 70 million people evely ~nontli.The "Family Stipend" program today benefits 12.6 n~illionfamilies: guaranteeing income upon the ~iieeting conditionalities in the at-ens of education, inaternal liealtli. and avoidance of cl~ild of labor. We are iniplementing tile Unified Social Assistance System anti the National System of Food and Nutritional Security. Tlic mininium wage has bee11 increased significantly. improving the income of worliers, rctirees ar~d pensioners. The internal market was expanded througli er~iploymcnt inconie generating policies, eve11(luring and the reccrit international financial crisis. Another priol-ity lias been the promotion of policies aimed at ensuring decent \\,orIi for all and racial equality. With regards to education, 95% of Brazilian children are in school, and the conditionalities attached to tile "Family Stipend" have ensured that they remain there for a longer pel-iod of time.

III terms of gender equality ant1 the empo\vernient of woinen. educational int1icato1-sare positive. I n the labor force? t l ~ c \\,age gap between met^ and women has tended to shrinli in tile last five years. l-Io\\,ever. high levels of of ly violence against \\*omen continue to pose a challcnge. In ligl~t this. BI-azil is f ~ ~ l cor~iniittcdto tile "United for the End of Violence Against Worncn" campaign.

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Mr. President, Brazil lias constantly improved tlie largest unified universal and free pt~blic health system, the "SUS". We will have the opportunity to share our experiences with other countries in hvo international conferences that Brazil will host: the first, this coming December, on universal social security systems, and the second, in October of of 201 1, on the social deterini~iants healtli. An important result in the area of health has been the 58% decrease in the mortality level of children under the age of five, meeting the goal before the deadline. Tlie major challenge for the Brazilian government lias been to address maternal mortality, wliich, in spite of the reduction since 1990, is still high in Brazil, requiring, therefore, more targeted policies. resultiiig from this disease, as well as of malaria Over the past few years, the incidence of tuberculosis, of deatl~s in the Amazon region, liave all fallen. Tlie Brazilian government, with tlie participation of civil society, imple~iientsfree and universal prograrns of information disseminatioo regarding I-IIVIAIDS. It distributes preventive materials and ensures access to antiretroviral drugs to around 220 tliousand people. The incidence of FIIVIAIDS in children has fallen drastically, as a result of actions adopted at the national level to reduce vertical transmission of the virus. Mr. President, Regarding MDG 7, Brazil has reduced deforestation levels in tlie Amazon and established a system to monitor the deforestation in the "cerradon(Brazilia~isavanna). 45% of our internal energy supply comes from renewable originating from fossil fileis are at half tile global average. sources. Our levels of CO2 e~nissions Brazil has achieved its goal of halving tlie proportion of the popillation without access to safe drinking water in orban areas. 66% of this population today 1x1s adequate living conditions, as opposed to 5 1% in 1997. Mr. President, Brazil is increasingly contributing to the global partnership Tor development, sharingsuccessful experiences and deepening cooperation, tlirougli a South-South perspective. Between 2003 and 2009, the Brazilian government concluded over 400 cooperatioii agreements with other developing countries. We granted US$ 1.25 billion of debt relief to these countries. Pilot GI-oop. Brazil Since tile lau~icliof the "Global Actioli Asainst I-lunger and Poverty" and the crcation of t l ~ e lias actively participated in innovative financing mecha~iisms, including tlirough significant financial contributions. In coiiclusion. Mr. President. No coiintry should be allowed to fall short of the MDGs because of lack of financial resources. Any country's inability to achieve its national goals is also responsibility of 11s all. Tliere are many challenges still ahead of us. but Brazil rc~nairis commilted to promoting the acliievement of all the MDGs and to ensure a fairer \\,orld for all women and all men. We can all do better! Thank you very much