K. Burke Dillon has been the IDB’s executive vice president since 1998. She came to the Bank from the International Monetary Fund, where she headed the Administration Department. Before that, she directed IMF activities in several Latin American countries and was an IMF representative in Moscow. She recently spoke to IDBAmérica about the IDB’s commitment to social equity and inclusion.
IDBAmérica: Is addressing social exclusion part of the IDB’s agenda?
Dillon: This issue is on the agenda of the IDB for many reasons, but for me one reason would be sufficient: that we cannot address poverty unless we address race. Poverty reduction and growth are the central objectives of this organization. We will not be able to achieve these goals without addressing the issues of race within the region.
IDBAmérica: Do you think that governments are ready to tackle the issues of ethnic and cultural discrimination?
Absolutely. The governments are receptive. They want to work with us. In some ways, they are new in this too. In other ways some governments are out in front of us. To the extent that we can help each other by sharing experiences, by sharing best practices, the IDB can play a very helpful role.
IDBAmérica: What would be the most effective contribution of the IDB in this field?
Dillon: The Bank cannot do everything but there are several things on which we can concentrate. First is information. I am convinced, after talking with indigenous and Afro-Latin groups, that they place great importance on having a statistical picture of the status of their group within the country. A second theme or activity is institution building. I've been very impressed with what we see coming from the Youth Program and INDES (Inter-American Institute for Social Development) in terms of building institutions. I would like to see the IDB strive to be a model of how to work with indigenous and Afro-Latin communities. I would challenge the staff to make this a goal in our work: to find the best participatory processes and reach out and get the views of those we are working with.
IDBAmérica: Would you highlight any particular areas where the IDB could have more impact in addressing social exclusion?
Dillon: We had a major internal seminar last January that addressed that question. We concluded that one area of comparative advantage for the IDB is education. We know education alone is not sufficient, but it is essential. Bilingual and multicultural education are particularly important. This is an area where we could work in a range of countries.
A second area we thought the IDB could focus on is justice systems. Our country members value the fact that the IDB has the ability to deal with sensitive issues and issues that need a lot of institution building. For example, control of violence, racial profiling, judiciary system reform, and the extent to which national judicial systems even recognize concepts of justice from different cultures–all these are areas we could work on. We also need to bring more awareness regarding issues of race into our dialogue with countries in these areas.
IDBAmérica: Is the Bank equipped to act as an agent of social inclusion?
Dillon: Much of the discussion here of how to work with ethnic and racial minorities is in terms of "we" and "they." There is "us" and then there are those groups with whom we need to learn how to work. We very much need to bring more indigenous and Afro-Latin people into the IDB staff so that these perspectives become internalized. In the meantime, we all have to learn what these communities have to teach us about the causes of poverty and the solutions to poverty in their particular circumstances. We have the resources and we have the tools to disseminate ideas and information, but I think they are the ones who are going to be able to provide the solutions.
IDBAmérica: What are the main challenges faced today?
Dillon: The preparations for the U.N. Conference on Racism have provided opportunities for us and for our governments to focus on social and economic exclusion. But the goal is not just to get to the conference; it is to use these events to create a basis for making this part of our institutional work. We at the IDB have developed an Action Plan on Social Exclusion. If we can deliver on the goals we set for ourselves in this plan and in our preparatory meetings for the conference, it will demonstrate how serious we really are about ending social and economic exclusion.