THE NEWS
Social Development Undersecretary Ernesto Nemer Álvarez announced President Enrique Peña Nieto’s structural reforms to fight poverty at the Municipal Ibero-American Congress in Argentina on Wednesday.
“I have with me a presentation of the president’s policies explaining what the reforms will do and where the additional income will be allocated,” said Nemer.
At the assembly, Nemer discussed the social aspect of sustainable development, social policies and exclusion, saying that the income Mexico receives from structural reforms will be used mainly to fight extreme poverty and improve the quality of education, health services and housing.
“I have explained clearly and in detail what the new Prospera program is about,” he said. “(The program) will now be linked not to matters of assistance, but to matters of respect to human rights, self-employment and development of production activities.”
In almost two years of President Peña Nieto’s administration, the government has approved 11 structural reforms. Some of them will have relevant effects thanks to the arrival of private investments and the increase in competitiveness in the energy sector.
“The most important aspect (of the reforms) is how will they serve Mexicans and what support they will provide,” Nemer said.
“The results will help fight poverty and boost economic growth because the only way to fight poverty is not by providing support, but by growing economically and generating more jobs that are better paid.”
Nemer said the federal government was hopeful because two years ago, there were 7.4 million Mexicans living in extreme poverty. However, that number has dropped to 5.5 million people who reportedly eat better than they did two years ago.
Previous administrations used a large amount of resources to fight poverty, but the programs and actions were uncoordinated, resulting in dispersed expenses that were without focus.
He said that President Peña Nieto’s administration has made a difference by creating programs focusing on fighting shortages and addressing the poverty indexes published by the National Council for Social Development Evaluation (Coneval).
The federal government is also working to create the conditions to provide every Mexican with access to a nutritious diet and decent income. It is also important to give them the opportunity to have high-quality education for children and adults who have not finished their studies.
Families need access to quality healthcare and houses with solid foundations, stoves and ecofriendly toilets, Nemer said.
Despite the progress made in the past two years, 52 percent of Mexicans still live in some form of poverty according to Coneval’s indexes. However, President Peña Nieto’s administration is working toward eradicating poverty by the end of his tenure.
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