Brasília, October 13, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Social inequality in Brazil is historic. Recent statistics from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) show, for example, that, of every ten people who live below the poverty line, six are of African descent. Other IBGE data indicate that the average salary of a mulatto or black male is 30% less than what a white female receives. To discuss the fight against these and other inequalities in the country, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the federal government are assembled in Brasília at the Forum on the Erradication of Poverty, Generation of Employment, and Gender and Race Equality.

The Forum's opening ceremony was attended by six Ministers and the First Lady, Mariza Letícia Lula da Silva. According to the director of the ILO in Brazil, Armandi Pereira, the purpose of the Forum is to integrate social policies for the sake of social inclusion. For the Minister of the Special Secretariat for the Policy of Promoting Social Equality, Matilde Ribeiro, the federal government's programs that are most appropriate for the debate are the ones closest to enabling social inclusion. The Forum will run through Wednesday (15). (DAS)