Week of Ethical Values is inaugurated
September 25, 2006

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The Week of Ethical Values was inaugurated on September 25 as an initiative to raise awarness among different sectors of Salvadoran society about the practice of ethical values.

The Week of Ethical Values takes place in San Salvador, from September 25 through 29, and includes the participation of Colombian nationals Rosa Maria Ospina and Teodoro Perez Perez, experts on ethics and transparency, and Salvadoran figures from the judicial and political arenas.

The Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES) and the National Foundation for Development (FUNDE) are leading the promotion of this initiative funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Office.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, H. Douglas Barclay; the USAID Director, Deborah Kennedy-Iraheta; the President of FUSADES Board of Directors, Antonio Cabrales, and the Executive Director of FUNDE, Roberto Rubio.

“An ethical and transparent government generates a greater trust in its institutions, increases human development, opens up investment opportunities, and strengthens rule of law and democracy,” said Ambassador Barclay.

During the Week of Ethical Values, a series of workshops, conferences and training sessions will be offered to public employees, members of the civil society, non-government organizations, journalists, representatives from the private sector, professors and students.  The purpose is to promote dialogue on ethical values, present the new Government Ethics Law, and connect its application with international tools such as the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (CICC).