Alberto Fernández at the World Economic Forum in D …

President Alberto Fernandez participated by videoconference from the Residence Olivos in the plenary session of Davos World Economic Forum 2021 and delivered a speech in which he stressed the importance of working together, prioritizing the “most vulnerable” since “There is no more room for irresponsible adjustments.” In this sense, he mentioned the need to play an active role because “a better world must be born from this pandemic”.

About the agreement with the IMF

The President assured that the agreement being negotiated with the IMF “incorporate new macroeconomic perspectives and a common understanding of the needs of the local economy “.

Fernández denied that he is bringing with him an adjustment, those who “undermine the credibility of leaders as well as those who grant unrealistic aid” and said that the text will be presented to Congress for approval, contrary to the agreement signed during the macrism.

The head of state spoke of “toxic and irresponsible” debt that Argentina has had to go through in recent years, and reflected on the progress of the Economy Ministry’s debt swap in 2020, with Martín Guzmán at the helm. “We have managed to restructure the debt with private creditors with an acceptance rate of over 99%,” he said.

Along the same lines, he said that “the dialogue with the IMF is ongoing” and that so far “it has been very constructive”. “We have received incalculable support from members of the G20 and the international community,” he said.

About the pandemic

Throughout his speech, the President stressed the importance of learning from the pandemic that is affecting the world and of working together because “We live in a time when all paradigms are being tested.”

“The moral imperative is to give priority to the last, the abandoned, the most vulnerable. Fraternity must be the new name of development and solidarity for social peace”, he stressed.

He also referred to the vaccination campaign and estimated “the vaccine should be considered a global public good”, while indicating that “it must preserve the most exposed sectors”.

In addition, he referred to the debate taking place in the world and stressed that “the option is not life or the economy, but life with a bigger and better economy”.

On the other hand, he highlighted the measures promoted under his government in the context of the pandemic, such as the case of Emergency Family Income (IFE) or Emergency Work and Production Assistance (ATP) , and highlighted the industry rebound.

“The industrial sector has experienced a remarkable recovery. We have already recorded 4,500 jobs that did not exist before the pandemic. We have been recovering industrial jobs for 5 months,” he said.

The relationship with the world

“It is necessary to rethink the modalities of development. As president pro tempore of Mercosur, I find myself engaged with Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay in a program with a deeper and more innovative integration with the rest of the world. ‘America, Europe and Asia,’ he declared.

He added: “We are optimistic about the times ahead. Now is the time to join forces to tackle the world’s endemic problems: unsustainable debt, extreme poverty, access to water, gender equality, natural disasters. “

For Fernández, “the global solidarity pact is the goal we have in front of us” and he felt that “it is now or never”. “We can choose to be simple observers, or we can choose to act boldly and decide to be the protagonists by laying the new foundations for an innovative approach. From this pandemic, a better world must be born, it is our responsibility to achieve it. From Argentina, I invite you to be partners in this task, ”he warned.

Great program

Finally, the president called for the promotion of an agenda of “avant-garde issues” such as “the future of education and work, telemedicine, productive channels, digital inclusion, women’s empowerment and green infrastructure “.

“The ethics of solidarity challenges us. Political, social, ethical and environmental responsibility. We must work with the private sector to develop efficient industries,” he said.

Likewise, he underlined the need to “link multilateralism to a concept of multisolidarity” and classified the private sector as “an essential partner to face the reforms which allow the productive and technological escalation of Argentina”.

Finally, he placed the climate agenda as a fundamental axis: “We know that in order to be able to invest, financing and predictability are necessary. We are committed to moving forward on a sustainable recovery path aligned with the climate goals of the country’s accord. The development of the future will be green or it will not be ”.