First Lady Margarita Cedeno stood in for husband President Leonel Fernandez by speaking at the United Nations assembly. “Poverty and hunger are like heat and cold; you cannot see them, but they can be felt,” said the First Lady in New York. During her presentation, she highlighted the social programs the new Fernandez administration will implement, such as “Comer es Primero” and “Progresando.” During her five-day stay in NYC, she will also speak at the summit meeting whose topic is combating hunger and poverty, as was part of the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations. Also participating are the presidents of Brazil, Argentina, France and the head of the Spanish government.
As reported in El Caribe, Cedeno said that the greatest challenge of governments is to design public policies that promote economic growth while also improving the welfare of people, so as to return human dignity to the population.