President Alberto Fernandez participated through a videoconference from the Olivos Residence in the plenary session of the Davos World Economic Forum 2021 and gave a speech where he highlighted the importance of working together, of putting priority on “the most vulnerable” since “There is no more room for irresponsible adjustments.” In that sense, he spoke of the need to take an active role because “a better world must be born out of this pandemic.”
About the agreement with the IMF
The president assured that the agreement that is being negotiated with the IMF “will incorporate new macroeconomic perspectives and a common understanding of the needs of the local economy “.
Fernández denied that it brings with it an adjustment, those that “damage the credibility of the leaders as well as those who grant unrealistic assists” and said that the text will be presented in Congress for approval, unlike the agreement signed during the macrismo.
The head of state spoke of indebtedness “toxic and irresponsible” that Argentina had to go through in recent years, and pondered the progress in the debt swap of the Ministry of Economy in 2020, with Martín Guzmán at the helm. “We reached a debt restructuring with private creditors with an acceptance level higher than 99 percent,” he stressed.
Along the same lines, he said that “the dialogue with the IMF is under way” and that so far “it has been very constructive.” “We received innumerable support from the G20 members and the international community,” he said.
About the pandemic
Throughout his speech, the president emphasized the importance of learning from the pandemic that affects the world and working together because “We live in a time where all paradigms are put to the test.”
“The moral imperative is to prioritize the last, the discarded, the most vulnerable. Fraternity must be the new name for development and solidarity of social peace,” he emphasized.
He also referred to the vaccination campaign, and opined that “the vaccine must be considered a global public good”, while it indicated that “it must preserve the most exposed sectors.”
In addition, he referred to the debate installed in the world and stressed that “the option is not life or the economy, but life with more and better economy.”
On the other hand, he highlighted the measures promoted during his government in the framework of the pandemic, such as the case of Emergency Family Income (IFE) or Emergency Assistance to Work and Production (ATP), and highlighted the rebound in the industry.
“The industrial sector has been making a remarkable recovery. We have already registered 4,500 jobs that did not exist before the pandemic. We have been recovering industrial employment for 5 months,” he said.
The relationship with the world
“It is necessary to rethink the modalities of development. As president pro tempore of Mercosur I find myself committed together with Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay in an agenda with a deeper and more innovative integration with the rest of America, Europe, Asia”, he declared.
He added: “We are hopeful in the face of the time that lies ahead. The time has come to join forces to tackle the world’s endemic problems: unsustainable debt, extreme poverty, access to water, gender equality, natural disasters. “
For Fernández, “the global solidarity pact is the goal we have ahead of us” and he considered that “it is now or never”. “We can choose to be mere observers or we can choose to act boldly and decide to be protagonists in laying the new foundation for an innovative approach. A better world must be born from this pandemic, it is our responsibility to make this happen. From Argentina I invite you to be partners in this task, “he warned.
Broad agenda
Finally, the President called for the promotion of an agenda of “vanguard issues” such as “the future of education and work, telemedicine, productive chains, digital inclusion, the empowerment of women and green infrastructure.”
“The ethics of solidarity calls us together. Political, social, ethical and environmental responsibility. We need to work together with the private sector to develop efficient industries,” he said.
Similarly, he highlighted the need to “link multilateralism with a concept of multisolidarity” and classified the private sector as “an essential partner to face the reforms that allow the productive and technological escalation of Argentina.”
Finally, he placed the climate agenda as a fundamental axis: “We know that to be able to invest, financing and predictability are needed. We are committed to advancing on the path to a sustainable recovery aligned with the climate objectives of the country’s agreement. The development of the future will be green or it will not be “.
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