Through a sound macroeconomic policy and through cash transfer
programmes, such as “Bolsa Família”, the Brazilian Government made of
social inclusion a moral imperative and a strategic goal for the development
of the country, with the generation of income and employment.
At the level of elementary education, the enrolment ratio of white and black
students are roughly the same, however, of those, 20,5% of white students
and only 7,7% of black students reach superior education. With the aim of
correcting this historical distortion, the Brazilian Government, by means of
affirmative action policies, was able to guarantee access to University to
more than 350 thousand young afro descendents in the last 5 years. They are
also granted scholarships to undergraduate, master's, doctorate, internships,
training and professional integration in an international environment.
In the health area, notwithstanding its universal access, disparities in the
quality of treatment remain. Since May 2009, the Brazilian Government has
been implementing a national policy for the integral health of African
descendent population and has made efforts with a view to guaranteeing
egalitarian access to quality public health service and with the specialized
required treatments.
In the area of Labour, it is worth highlighting the Sector Qualification Plan for
African descendents, aimed at building professional capacity through
Individual Entrepreneurship Courses in the field of trade and services. The
goal is to reach 25 thousand professionals around the country.
We would also wish to highlight the promotion of access of Brazilians of
African descent to the diplomatic career. For that matter, Brazil’s Ministry of
External Relations has been providing grants to young Brazilian’s of African
descent for the preparation for the diplomatic career entry exams. This
programme has already proven its success.
Madam Chair,
Allow me to make some brief remarks on the recent enactment of Brazil’s
“Statute of Racial Equality".