Santiago, March 13- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Uruguayan President José Mujica participated in a high-level discussion at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile, where they urged fellow leaders to work toward greater regional integration as a way to achieve more inclusive development in the region.
The heads of state were greeted by Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC's Executive Secretary, who welcomed them on behalf of this United Nations regional commission. "It is a great honor for us to have present two of the most transcendent political figures in Latin America and the Caribbean today and in the future," she said.
At the meeting, Presidents Bachelet and Mujica presented their views on the region's development and agreed that integration is urgently needed to confront the big problems that affect its people and to have a powerful voice in the face of globalization's challenges.
Both leaders emphasized that all Latin American and Caribbean people share a common future and that unity must be bolstered in the region to create mutual trust and to project common interests while also acknowledging the rich diversity that exists between countries.
Michelle Bachelet said that it was especially meaningful to be-just 24 hours after her inauguration as president of Chile-at the headquarters of ECLAC, an organization that "has made a tremendous contribution to reflection in Latin America”. Her presence in this United Nation's commission marked her first public event after the official activities of her inauguration.
The Chilean president also highlighted the importance given to integration as a fundamental issue in her new government programme.
"Despite the specific differences that may exist, we are all Latin American. Today we can take action together to foster an agenda of unity in the region," said Bachelet. She said that in addition to having a common voice to defend regional interests, strong and internationally respected institutions were needed.
"We never thought there had to be a trade-off between growth and social policies. Latin America must put a definitive end to the injustices that have been suffered for a long time. In our view of development, dignity and cooperation are the main tools for building a fairer future," the Chilean president stated.
"Humankind has never had so many resources or technical possibilities as it does today and, nevertheless, we waste millions of dollars on military spending. Tons of problems accumulate and we don't have a solution for them because of the lack of global governance," President Mujica said during his presentation.
The Uruguayan president stressed that in Latin America integration is essential for being able to negotiate with major world powers, and that requires "a powerful voice and organization”.
"We have made progress, but we have a long way to go. National chauvinism still weighs heavily and the spirit of integration hasn't reached the masses," Mujica said. He added that politics is not just a hobby or a profession, but it is also a passion, and its fundamental goal is to build collective wills.
Welcoming the heads of state, ECLAC's Executive Secretary said that Latin America faces a crossroads today, since the region is moving along a path of economic growth with high levels of inequality, little impulse toward structural change, and an increasingly problematic external scenario.
"That's why it is necessary to protect the unequivocal social achievements made and to promote, through a renewed set of institutional reforms and policies, sustainable growth with increasing levels of equality," Bárcena said.
Bárcena also praised the efforts made by both presidents in the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). "The countries that face the Atlantic and the Pacific are part of a common space that doesn't allow for excluding architectures," she concluded.
