"The Argentine Government has launched one of the most ambitious infrastructure plans in history, which provides for a 50% growth in infrastructure works for next year, in real terms. In that context, the public-private partnership model is an effective funding tool to complete works with private investment contributions," the Secretary for Foreign Coordination and Planning of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Ernesto Gaspari, stated today at the opening of a seminar on the development of this type of projects.
The event, titled "Infrastructure Development through Public-Private Partnership Projects (PPP)", will take place all day today at the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinated by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), with the participation of leading experts in the field.
Mr. Gaspari stated that "the first 50 projects to be carried out under this plan have already been announced and amount to an investment commitment by the private sector of over USD 20 billion." He added: "we have been working with UNOPS and Argentine ministries on the implementation of important initiatives pertaining to housing solutions, process engineering (alongside AYSA), restoration of historical buildings, information technology and digital education in schools."
In his address, the UNOPS Deputy Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Giuseppe Mancinelli, highlighted that "multilateral development banks are very interested in contributing financial resources, cooperation schemes or knowledge so that those projects can be carried out."
UNOPS is a United Nations body which addresses three priority areas: sustainable infrastructure, government procurement and project management. It operates in various regions around the world in a number of fields, such as health, transport, water and sanitation, lighting, public buildings and urban mobility, among others, from a sustainable development and peacebuilding perspective. Recently, UNOPS participated in projects in Brazil, Honduras and El Salvador, among other countries.
"The various public bodies must undertake this initiative and pursue its implementation in accordance with the needs in their jurisdictions. The role of the Argentine Foreign Ministry is to make available the assistance that various international organizations can provide in this task," Gaspari underscored.
Press release No. 504/17
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