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D. Sanchez: Address to Latin America Summit 2018
Written by Hon. Dionis Sanchez, Vice President of Senate, Dominican Republic
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Address to Latin America Summit 2018, São Paulo, Brazil, August 2–5, 2018
Latin American independence, proclaimed in the first half of the nineteenth century, not only represented a break with European absolutism, but the establishment of a democratic system, which prompted new forms of participation and popular representation. The evolution of the different republics was not peaceful, but they constantly faced internal political destabilization and in many cases external conflicts, which affected their development and social equilibrium. The very dynamics of Latin American ethnic diversity provoked exclusions from less hegemonic groups.
Latin American political conditions, the vulnerability of the normative systems of each country, and their adaptation to the needs of the groups that controlled power led to the establishment of dictatorships during the 20th century. This impeded democratic transformations and their translation into inclusive policies that allowed for the promotion of change and for Latin America to take the path of social and collective development.
Despite the pessimism that accompanied the popular masses during most of the twentieth century, Latin Americans did not get discouraged. After having succeeded in displacing the iron-fisted dictatorships that characterized this era, they consolidated themselves in the search for social transformation and human development. Some, with an ethnically diverse population, have gradually achieved the inclusion of all social classes, such as in the cases of Peru and Bolivia. In the same way, some countries have achieved important economic advances,
Undoubtedly, Latin America has made great strides towards the social and political transformations that have touched neuralgic areas of the continent, as in the case of the environment, which for Latin Americans is conceived as a human right, essential for the life of these countries. In the field of the protection of human rights, Latin American countries have evolved, constitutionalizing the protection of fundamental rights. Similarly, we assist in the implementation of optimal social–legal systems, which allow participation in public policies of governments and therefore bring greater empowerment of the governed and surveillance of the actions of the rulers.
For several decades, social inequalities and inadequately directed public policies drove armed struggles, causing a constant destabilization, affectation, exclusions, attacks and deaths. This was accompanied by violence unleashed by groups dedicated to criminal activities, which under illicit trafficking schemes convulsed society and sowed terror in specific areas, affecting the peace so necessary for the development of humanity.
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