Embassy Information
Embassy Event
SECRETARY OF LABOR SOLIS PARTICIPATES IN THE 16TH INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF LABOR
October 8, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis leads the U.S. delegation to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the 16th Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor, and addressed the labor minister attendees on October 7 in a plenary session titled “Coordination of Policies and Programs for Promoting Employment: a Guiding Framework in Facing the Crisis.”
“Our response to the economic crisis must provide greater economic security and new opportunities for equitable advancement,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Forums such as our Inter-American Conference provide an important opportunity for us both to share our successes and to learn from how each nation meets key challenges.”
Solis’ speech emphasized employment as the centerpiece of recovery measures and that the Labor Department continues to work with U.S. government agencies, trade unions and the private sector to design and implement strategies and programs that strengthen the middle class and respond to the economic crisis.
At the meeting, she had the opportunity to talk with colleagues about reducing poverty, creating opportunities for women and vulnerable populations, and improving worker rights and working conditions. Labor ministers from 34 governments were invited to participate in the conference, which is held every two years with the support of the Organization of American States. This year’s theme is “Facing the Crisis with Development, Decent Work and Social Protection.”
Others in Solis’ delegation included Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Economic Policy Alan Krueger along with officials from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and the U.S. Permanent Mission to the Organization of the American States.
