Brasília, April 15, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Presidential chief of staff, Minister José Dirceu, asked this morning for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to support the creation of a Latin American observatory for the evaluation of social policies. For Dirceu, the countries of Latin America will "advance in social policies, despite the budget restrictions and economic difficulties experienced by each country."

This morning the Minister participated in the Latin American Seminar to Stengthen the Function of Social Policy Evaluation, sponsored by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), in the Itamaraty Palace.

In his speech Dirceu reiterated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's determination to enhance physical integration among South American countries by means of highways, railways, air routes, and waterways.

The Minister also stressed the importance of the federal pact for the execution and control of social projects. "The control should be double, both by institutions and the population. The federal pact between states and municipalities is an essential element in this evaluation of the application of social policies," Dirceu affirmed.

In another reference to controlling expenditures, he commented that the governments of Latin America "have the obligation to spend more efficiently and to monitor and evaluate social investments," and he asserted that in Brazil, due to regional disparities and cultural pluralism, the decentralization of social programs is the key to their success.

Translator: David Silberstein