São Paulo – The Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation has informed this Wednesday (13th) that the minister Tereza Campello has accepted, on behalf of the Brazilian government, the 1st Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security, in Doha, Qatar.
The honour was bestowed by the International Social Security Association (Issa) to the Bolsa Família (Family Purse) program, which transfers income to poor families. The award was announced on October 15th, as previously reported by ANBA.
“We accept this award as a birthday present,” said the minister, according to a communiqué from the ministry. The ministry informs that the program celebrated its tenth anniversary last month.
The award was granted during the World Social Security Forum. The Issa chairman Errol Stoové said Bolsa Família is an inspiration to public managers around the world, according to the communiqué.
Campello seized the opportunity to speak in favour of governments keeping their social spending at times of economic crisis. To her, denying social rights, dismounting protection networks, and reducing the population’s purchasing power during crises is unhealthy. “We have tasted this medicine and we are aware that it is not conducing to the resumption of development,” she said, according to the communiqué.
The Bolsa Família program serves 13.8 million families, and according to the federal government, in the ten years since its inception, extreme poverty has declined by 89% in Brazil. The program guarantees a minimum income to impoverished families whose children stay in school.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
