"Economic Growth Alone Cannot Produce Developed Societies"

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) hosted a symposium on Italian Expressions of Promotion of Social Capital and Local Economic Development with guest speakers from that country. The event was organized by ARCS (ARCI Cultura e Sviluppo), an Italian NGO, and Proactiva, a Venezuelan NGO with the joint sponsorship of the CAF, Italian Cooperation and UNDP.

The CAF vice president of development strategies, Fidel Jaramillo, told the opening session that "economic growth alone cannot not produce developed societies."

Social capital is one of the elements not traditionally considered in analyses of the development of societies. The economic performance of societies can be positively affected by building alliances between the different sectors of society, the democratic participation of individuals in solving community problems, the levels of confidence that exist between individuals and institutions, as well as other factors linked to social responsibility and equity, the CAF executive told the symposium.

"On this occasion, the CAF joins in efforts to make important aspects of this area better known. We understand that social capital and related aspects need to be incorporated into the activities and responsibilities of all sectors involved in development," the CAF vice president said.

Jaramillo announced that an event is planned for December this year, which will start high-level technical work in the framework of the Sustainable Social Development Program. The work will incorporate criteria for strengthening social capital in the development projects supported by multilateral organizations such as IDB and CAF. This multinational institution is promoting social projects that create high-quality educational opportunities for groups that are marginalized or excluded from formal education systems, he added.

The task of generating strengths in the development of more efficient regional and local administration is helped by the Governability Program, which the Corporation is supporting in Andean countries, together with the Andean Competitiveness Program (PAC). In conclusion, Jaramillo said these actions reflect CAF's concern for leading and strengthening national and international efforts for better development in Andean countries.

The opening was attended by the president of Proactiva, Victoria Bigio; the ARCS delegate for Latin America, Claudia Baratini; the UNDP representative in Venezuela, Antonio Malpoceres; and the Italian ambassador to Venezuela, Adriano Benedetti.

In the working sessions, the former president of the Umbria region, Brunno Bracalante, presented Italian models of local development: programming, consultation and integration; the president of ARCS-Luguria, Maximiliano Morettini, spoke on community, social capital and participative associations; while the director of Sviloppoumbría, Vinicio Botacchiari, developed the theme of strategies and operating tools for local economic development.