The High Cost of Discrimination in Latin America

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The High Cost of Discrimination in Latin America

• Judith Morrison
• Inter-American Dialogue
• Executive Director, Inter-Agency Consultation on
  Race in Latin America
• Web www.iac-race.org
• Email jmorrison_at_thedialogue.org

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African descendents

• 150 million
• 39 33 of the population
• Over half of the poor

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Indigenous Populations

• 30 40 million people
• 8 of the population
• Living in deplorable socio-economic conditions
• Significant advances over the past two decades
  funds, units, policies, and mechanisms in
  international organizations

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Inter-American Dialogue Race Program and the IAC

• The Inter-American Dialogue Race Program and the
  Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin
  America (IAC) were created in 2000.
• These programs work with international
  organizations and governments to bring greater
  visibility of the situation of racial
  discrimination, and social exclusion that impacts
  African descendents in Latin America.
• Share information and analysis on the situation
  of African descendents in the region
• Implement joint activities
• Establishes programming to strengthen the work of
  participating institutions
• Maintain a dialogue with leaders and
  organizations in the region.

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Cost of Social Exclusion

• Economies in
• Bolivia,
• Brazil,
• Guatemala
• Peru
• could expand their GDPs by as much as 36.7
  with the elimination of African descendent and
  indigenous social exclusion (Zoninsein 2001)
• IPEA states black women face labor, education,
  and societal discrimination

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Data Brazil

• 2nd largest African descendent nation outside of
  Africa 50 of population
• Lack formal education 36 blacks 19 whites
• Illiteracy 50 blacks 20 whites
• HDI Country 69th position
• Only blacks 101st position
• Only whites 46th position
• Unemployment 78 blacks below the poverty line
  40 whites

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Data Colombia

• 21 to 30 of the population 10 million to 17
  million areas with high concentration of blacks
  90 Pacific coast, 60 Atlantic coast Choco 85
• Extreme inequality 96 basic needs unmet in black
  municipalities 45 unmet in white
• 98 of black communities lack basic public
  services -- only 6 of white communities lack
  these services (water, sewerage, electricity)
• Health care systems cover 40 of the nations
  white municipalities, but only 10 of black
  municipalities
• Blacks overrepresented in the war 50 - 60 of
  new recruits
• Movement of the war to black regions makes the
  war much more difficult to eliminate because of
  the extreme inequality in these regions

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Recommendations for the Drafting of the Convention

• Join with international organizations think
  tanks, NGOs, civil society organizations to
  consider new ways of understanding the links
  between discrimination and social exclusion
• Include self-definition as an important framework
  for defining race establish terminology that is
  inclusive of modern terminology, but that is also
  flexible and representative of the ways
  individuals self-identify. Such as African
  descendents (which includes blacks, morenos,
  palenqueros, quilombolos, raizales, pardos,
  pretos, mulatos, afro-americanos, afro-latinos,
  etc.)
• Analyze possible ways of linking discrimination
  to labor markets (Summit of the Americas).
  Consider how discrimination impacts the
  representation of diverse populations in
  leadership positions at international
  organizations and in governments who is
  employed and how they are employed.
• Incorporate the progress made in the region
  through the Santiago Declaration and Santiago
  process

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Contact Information

• Judith Morrison
• Inter-American Dialogue
• Executive Director
• Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin
  America (IAC)
• jmorrison_at_thedialogue.org
• www.iac-race.org