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Panama Minister Tells OAS: Economic Growth Alone Won't Erase Social Gaps
🇵🇦 Panama /Economy & Trade

Panama Minister Tells OAS: Economic Growth Alone Won't Erase Social Gaps

From TVN Panamá · (1h ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is not sufficient on its own to reduce social disparities.
  • Panama's Minister of Social Development, Beatriz Carles de Arango, highlighted persistent inequality despite macroeconomic gains, with significant portions of the population living in poverty.
  • She urged a focus on translating growth into concrete opportunities for vulnerable groups and strengthening social protection systems through integrated, multidisciplinary policies.

From Washington, Panama's Minister of Social Development, Beatriz Carles de Arango, delivered a stark message at the Organization of American States (OAS): economic growth alone is not the panacea for Latin America's deep-seated social inequalities.

El crecimiento económico en América Latina y el Caribe no está logrando, por sí solo, reducir las brechas sociales en la región.

— Beatriz Carles de ArangoMinister of Social Development of Panama, speaking at the Organization of American States (OAS).

Despite Panama's own macroeconomic successes, evidenced by a high per capita income fueled by sectors like logistics and tourism, the minister pointed to the persistent reality of poverty and extreme poverty affecting substantial segments of the population. This underscores a critical disconnect that resonates across the region, where prosperity at the national level often fails to trickle down to the most vulnerable.

cerrar esa brecha debe traducirse en oportunidades concretas para poblaciones vulnerables como la familia rural, la mujer indígena y los jóvenes que buscan incorporarse al mercado laboral.

— Beatriz Carles de ArangoHighlighting the need for economic growth to create tangible opportunities for vulnerable groups.

Minister Carles de Arango emphasized the need to move beyond mere economic expansion and focus on tangible opportunities for rural families, indigenous women, and young job seekers. Her call for strengthening social protection systems against increasingly frequent crises—economic, health, and climate-related—highlights a growing vulnerability that demands more robust and integrated policy responses. The minister rightly cautioned against over-reliance on welfare, advocating instead for models that build human capital and foster individual autonomy.

reducir la distancia entre el crecimiento económico y el desarrollo real en los territorios.

— Beatriz Carles de ArangoIdentifying the first priority for the region: bridging the gap between economic growth and actual development.

Panama's proactive stance, including its proposed collaboration with Peru on poverty indices and its interest in hosting a future Social Development Ministerial Meeting, signals a commitment to regional solutions. The core message from Panama is clear: the true measure of success lies not in GDP figures, but in ensuring that economic progress translates into genuine well-being and equitable opportunities for all citizens. This perspective is vital, as it challenges the often externally imposed development models that prioritize growth over inclusive prosperity.

fortalecer los sistemas de protección social frente a crisis económicas, sanitarias y climáticas cada vez más frecuentes, incluyendo inundaciones, sequías y otros eventos extremos que afectan con mayor intensidad a las poblaciones vulnerables.

— Beatriz Carles de ArangoStating the second priority: strengthening social protection systems against frequent crises.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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