Inter-American Cooperation Network for Social Protection

Transfer of Chile’s Puente Program to the Caribbean

Francisco Pilotti, DirectorDepartment of Social Development and Employment

Reñaca, July 9-10, 2008

Mandates

• Millennium Development Goal No. 1:– Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

• IV Summit of the Americas:– Identify and exchange, within the

framework of the OAS, practices in the region regarding policies and programs to confront poverty.

Selection Criteria

• Effective reduction of extreme poverty

• Effective reduction of inequality

• Effective targeting aimed at the poorest

• Redistributive Impact – Progressiveness

• Consolidated programs

Conditional Cash Transfers

• They meet the established criteria• They attack the reproduction of

intergenerational poverty • The family as a unit of intervention: delivery

of integrated services• Participation of local governments• Empowerment of citizens• User satisfaction

The Puente Program

• Established in 2002, the Program focuses on the family as the unit of intervention. During 24 months, Puente seeks to empower the family in order to improve its quality of life in seven dimensions:– Health– Education – Civil Registry (Identification)– Housing– Employment– Family Dynamics– Income Generation

Achievements of the Chile Puente Program

• Five years of implementation

• Coverage:270,000 families

• High impact on poverty reduction during 2003-2006 according to World Bank

• Positive evaluation by ECLAC

• International interest in general and by the Caribbean in particular

Source: CASEN

Strategic Alliance

• FOSIS - MIDEPLAN• Ministry of Social Development, Trinidad

& Tobago• Ministry of Social Transformation and the

Poverty Reduction Fund of St. Lucia• Ministry of Labor and Social Security and

the Jamaica Social Investment Fund• University of the West Indies• CIDA – Canada• Government of Chile

The Puente Methodology

Psychosocial Support and Subsidies

Families in extremepoverty

Autonomous families with access to protection networks

Follow-Up

24 months

Toolkit: how can it be shared?

DSDE Strategy for Institutional

Strengthening

• Main components of the Horizontal Cooperation– Critical transfer of knowledge, skills, and

lessons learned• Seeks relevance • Discards the simple replica of a model• Facilitates the comparative approach• Ensures mutual learning

– Combines educational, traditional, and virtual approaches

– Permanent connectivity– Network management– Academic support

Building a Bridge for the Puente

• Critical Transfer must take into account differences such as:– Legal– Administrative– Cultural/Linguistic– Family Dynamics– Service Delivery– Other Variables

• Migration• HIV/AIDS

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Main Activities• 2007

– Formation of task force– Launching workshop, Kingston– Website– Internship, Chile– National work plans

• 2008– Monitoring by FOSIS tutors in the Caribbean – Evaluation of achievements, Trinidad y Tobago,

September– Results presented at Conference for CARICOM

countries, September– Incorporation of 3 new countries into the Program

Achievements of the Program

• Increased institutional coordination through the establishment of Social Networks in the countries

• 3 local programs that have incorporated the principles of the Puente Program, adapting them to their local reality

• Political support at the highest level• Consolidation of a network between the

participating countries to exchange their own experiences and lessons

• Increased demand for this program in other countries and regions

Lessons for the Inter-American Cooperation

• Relevance and pertinence: We must consider and value the realities of the countries involved when designing the programs so that they are relevant and pertinent

• Short-term value - Solutions to contingent problems

• Long-term value - Formation and systematization of a knowledge base

• An effective communication and participation strategy is important for ensuring the support of local partners

• Political will is essential for the success of programs of this nature