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First, government institutions have to find effective ways to educate Afro-Latino
women in the evaluation of public policies regarding minorities; second, it is important to
strengthen Afro-descendant networks in order to design and implement inclusion projects
and programs; third, both governments and Afro-descendant organizations must establish
priorities in the face of structural problems such as unemployment, poverty, social and
political exclusion, gender discrimination and institutionalized racism; fourth, it is urgent
to make effective laws regarding Afro-Latino women’s issues; and fifth, Afro-descendant
NGOs should create partnerships with public and private institutions, including the media
and universities, to secure a big labor force of Afro-Latinas with a high education level.
These strategies make us suggest the following development initiatives, in order
to not only eliminate the poverty that most Afro-descendant women face, but to achieve
more economic growth and respect for ethnic and women’s rights in the region: First,
governments and Afro-Latino NGOs have to work on the implementation of programs
regarding Afro-Latino women’s enterprises and small businesses; second, they also have
to promote the creation of working groups on social services for Afro-Latinas; third, they
have to support regional events on Afro-Latino women to obtain a clear comprehension
of policies regarding Afro-Latinas as an specific ethnic population; fourth, they need to
create a political culture that allows them to promote policies that benefit them directly;
and fifth, governments and Afro-Latino NGOs have to support affirmative action policies
to enhance the access of Afro-Latinas to higher education and well-paid jobs.
To sum up, educating Afro-Latinas is crucial, but it is not enough. Governments,
Afro-descendant NGOs and the UN System itself should work together not only to make
effective the recommendations that have been produced by this Forum but also to defend
ethnic and women’s rights throughout Latin America.