TODAY COLOMBIA (Prensa Latina) – Colombian Predident Juan Manuel Santos called for increasing productivity and curbing inequalities in Latin America, which could represent a leap for the economies and social development.
Ibero-American Summit to Conclude with Agreements
During the presentation of the report on Latin American Economic Prospects 2015 during the 24th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, Santos highlighted the need to increasingly get the most vulnerable groups out of poverty and improve labor standards in the region.
“If we fail to improve this latter factor we will get behind compared to the rest of the world,” he stated.
In his speech today, he called for prioritizing technical and technological education as pillars for progress, and acknowledged that the difficulties in the access to education also have an impact on the nations’ development.
The absence of a culture of innovation is another factor limiting growth, he said.
Santos explained that Colombia adopted measures to cushion economic slowdown hitting Latin America.
“We will be among countries with highest growth this year, above 4.6 or 4.7 percent,” he added.
Santos urged the Ibero-American community to invest in early childhood to guarantee that the children studying in public schools have adequate conditions for their learning, health and nutrition.
