Conversation with ... Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos.

Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos, First Lady of Panama since 2004 when her husband Martin Torrijos Espino was elected President, is a publicist by profession and mother of three. She has long been interested in improving the well-being of socially marginalized groups, especially persons with disabilities, children and rural women.

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Horst Rutsch and Marga Dorao-Moris of the UN Chronicle spoke with Mrs. Fernandez de Torrijos on 2 March 2005, when she visited UN Headquarters in New York to attend the forty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

On the role of First Lady of Panama

In Panama we have 37-per-cent poverty, mostly in the indigenous areas where it is about 90 per cent. It is a challenge for us to give and provide the poor with basic services--water, electricity, education, health--in order for them to get out of poverty. We have to work with the youth by providing them not only with what they need, but also with role models who they can follow. And that is sometimes very difficult to find. But if we try to show how good governance works, we could at least have a model for the youth and give them the opportunity to voice their opinions and participate with the rest of the population in making decisions on matters that affect them.

That is what my husband and I want to do--we want to include the opinions, decisions and the participation of young people who are in universities or in senior high schools. We want a government which accepts the youth as part of its responsibility and include them in its decision-making process. I see myself as the social arm of my husband's government for the minorities who have been forgotten for years--the disabled, the youth, elderly women and others.

On the challenges of modernizing Panama

For the government under my husband's administration, the major challenges have been to reconstruct the ineffectual fiscal system and also to revive the social security services--these are the two economic challenges that he is facing. As soon as he took office, he changed the Constitution of the Republic--something that the whole country was asking for. And in the first three months, he changed the fiscal system: the way people paid taxes was not fair, there was a lot of tax evasion, so that was another challenge. Now we are in the middle of discussing social security reform, with some very tough decisions ahead.

We also have the problem of the Canal and the challenge of enlarging this interoceanic waterway. We must have the Canal in perfect shape. It is going to take many years, but the decision must be taken now, otherwise it will not be updated to meet international needs. The other challenge is Colon, where trade is being developed and will be much better, because there will be activities in four ports, not only on the Atlantic side but also on the Pacific side, and this will be a boost to the economy. Also, we see tourism as part of our future. Our country is an ideal destination for eco-tourism and is safe for a wonderful vacation, with direct flights from all over the world. We have an interesting indigenous population, two oceans, rainforests, beautiful beaches, and many species of birds and other wildlife.

On recognizing people with disabilities

In my country, we have an obligation to the minority group of disabled people to try to include them in all aspects of society. Education, health and labour--all these are services that any person should be able to get. The disabled are excluded and usually have separate services for everything. For years they have been claiming for this right to be part of their lives, and because of that I have been working with these groups. Since 1980, I have been involved in both health and educational groups, and have seen how disabled or handicapped children have to go to segregated schools to get an education. I know that in other countries they are included in regular schools with regular teachers and school services. And I am talking not only about those with visual and hearing problems, but also those with mobility and mental retardation, as well as with Down's syndrome.

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On integrating children with disabilities

As part of my husband's philosophy, the Government has been working through the different ministries or secretariats to include children with disabilities and enable them to receive all services, including health and education. We are making an effort to provide all schools that accept these children into regular classrooms with the equipment they need to follow the curriculum in a better way. To accomplish this, the programme INCLUYE sells blue bracelets, just like the yellow ones (i.e. the Live Strong Yellow Bracelet that was launched by cyclist Lance Armstrong to support the fight against cancer). The proceeds go to benefit the project and fund the purchase of equipment--this is our little token to this whole campaign and it has been very successful. We have increased awareness of the problem, and I think that there has been a significant change in our country.

On the problem of violence against women

We are right now in the middle of a campaign against gender violence, not only against women but the whole family. It is a matter of silence. We are, therefore, trying to bring up the issue, so that everybody can talk about it and more women, men and children would be encouraged to go to the authorities and report the problem. Gender violence is in our homes and maybe next door, but we keep it a secret. We have to talk about it and bring it out in the open.

On attending the Commission on Women's session

This is my first time attending an event at the United Nations and I was very interested in coming because the Commission on the Status of Women is assessing the policies for women and reviewing the Beijing Platform for Action ten years later. Since my husband took the presidency of Panama six months ago, I thought this was the best time to be here. I am representing Panama and am here to give my country's report and discuss issues that are of interest to us.

On visiting the United Nations

I loved visiting the United Nations. It is as if the whole world is getting together in one room, and you see how small the world really is. I see how distant countries have the same problems as my country, and how big nations have the same problems as small ones. It is wonderful to share my time with people from Africa, Asia, Europe and all other countries of the Americas, talking in depth about one of the most important issues that unite us: women. For me, this has been one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had, and I am really impressed with the way the United Nations addresses these issues and how professional the people here are. I really enjoyed being here.

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