Yara Aquino
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília - Minister of Social Development and Hunger Combat, Patrus Ananias, will be in Caracas today for the "Continental Meeting: Ministerial Dialogue on the Americas Social Charter."

Ananias will present a report on Brazilian social programs, with emphasis on the government's Zero Hunger program, an umbrella project uniting various social assistance efforts. He will explain that the project is a huge income redistribution undertaking, providing financial and economical assistance for low income families. It presently reaches over 7.5 million families, or around 30 million people. The minister will emphasize the control mechanisms which ensure that the programs are graft-free and effectively reach their target populations. The minister will also call for more regional cooperation in dealing with social problems.

Ministers and authorities from Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, the United States and Venezuela will participate in the event which will emit an action plan document that will be forwarded to the Organization of American States.

Translator: Allen Bennett