Public
FTAA.soc/w/150/Add.1
October 24, 2000

Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat

FTAA - COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY

CONTRIBUTION IN RESPONSE TO THE OPEN INVITATION

Executive Summary

Public works involve an assessment of their impact, both in terms of employment and of minor expenditures on social assistance and major expenditures for social investment and productive development processes.
Progressive widening of the gap between strong globalization and a weakening of the government’s role as protector in charge of compensating and regulating the integration process.
The role of the government must be to protect the system’s integration capability and participation by the people.

Terms to be required of the FTAA negotiations:

Greater decentralization (in Chile close to 40% of public investment is currently regional).
For decentralization, work on the basis of focusing on and assigning priority to certain sectors.
Establish differentials that will make it possible to determine differences between the impact of products based on their ability to create jobs and social benefits.
Protect the public-property status of infrastructure constructions.
Channel use of government procurement, especially local purchases, as a tool for fostering informal companies or movements for association of small producers