In his first ever Budget Address to the St. Lucia House of Assembly since taking office in 2007, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Honorable Stephenson King approved the implementation of the Puente Program in St. Lucia. The address which was delivered on April 21, 2008, highlighted the value of the Chile Puente program as a successful means of attacking extreme poverty, and expressed optimism that the locally-adapted program would succeed in ensuring effective targeting and delivery of social protection services to indigent families in St. Lucia.

The local program forms part of a regional cooperation initiative between Chile and three Caribbean countries, and it is coordinated by the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment. The Prime Minister’s financial and political endorsement of the program represents a significant milestone in the horizontal cooperation endeavor as its success depends largely on the political commitment of the countries involved.

Excerpts from Budget Address >>