Ministry of Social Development (Argentina)

The Ministry of Social Development (Spanish: Ministerio de Desarrollo Social; MDS) was a ministry of the Argentine Government which oversaw the country's public policies on issues such as social assistance, welfare and human development across the country. The ministry was created in 1955 as the Ministry of Social Assistance, and it was given its current name in 1999 during the presidency of Fernando de la Rúa.

Ministry of Social Development
Ministerio de Desarrollo Social

Ministry of Public Works Building, seat
Ministry overview
Formed1955
DissolvedDecember 10, 2023; 12 months ago (December 10, 2023)
Superseding Ministry
JurisdictionGovernment of Argentina
HeadquartersMinistry of Public Works Building, Av. 9 de Julio 1925, Buenos Aires
Annual budget$ 252,626,198,315[1]
Minister responsible

The ministry was dissolved on December 10, 2023 following a presidential decree from President Javier Milei.[2]

History

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During the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón a constitutional reform expanded the ministries of the federal government creating the Ministry of Health. In 1955 the military coup of Eduardo Lonardi abolished many of the changes made by Perón, including the Ministry of Health, and created the Ministry of Social Assistance.[3] It was soon after renamed Ministry of Social Assistance and Public Health,[4] and later in 1966 renamed Ministry of Social Welfare,[5] while still overseeing public health issues. During the 1983 democratic government of Raul Alfonsin the ministry was renamed again as Ministry of Health and Social Action,[6] and in 1999 president Fernando De la Rúa decided to split the two ministries again, giving each the same precedence in the Cabinet of Ministers.[7] Thus the modern Ministry of Social Development was born, which was again briefly merged with the Ministry of Health during the presidency of Mauricio Macri regarding budget cuts in 2018.[8] In 2019, former president Alberto Fernandez decided to split both ministries again on the first day in office,[9] and thus the Ministry of Social Development became a ministry on itself again until it was dissolved.

Function and objectives

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Decree 141 signed by president Nestor Kirchner in 2003 modifies the Law of Ministries to clearly state the function and objectives of the Ministry of Social development,[10] among which we can name:

  • Execute actions towards modifying attitudes in the general population from a social perspective, and also planning and auditing any actions regarding promotion, protection, training and development of human groups with social needs, within the policies established by the federal government, and international treaties.
  • To intervene in those cases of social emergency that require assistance from the government, in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
  • Execute actions towards securing financing plans of social development.
  • Formulate, normalize, coordinate, audit and evaluate food policies applied in federal, provincial and local levels.
  • Execute actions of direct assistance to people in situation of social risk, both inside the country and abroad, participating in international help plans.
  • Formulate policies destined to infancy, youth and family; design, execute, coordinate, audit and evaluate programs of promotion, protection, social integration and defense of the rights of minors, following the guidelines of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • Formulate policies regarding social promotion destined to the youth.
  • Formulate policies towards strengthening social economy, and to design, execute, coordinate, audit and evaluate programs of microcredit destined to the socially vulnerable population.
  • Assign and distribute subsidies to resolve unpredicted states of necessity, or those not covered by current programs, and those given to public or private institutions that develop activities benefiting the general population.

Central building

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The Ministry of Public Works Building, seat of the Ministry

The Ministry of Social Development has offices in over 50 locations[11] across the country, but the central office is located in what is known as the Ministry of Public Works building, a rationalist style building located in the famous 9 de julio avenue in downtown Buenos Aires, between Moreno street and Belgrano avenue. The building originally housed the offices of the Ministry of Public Works since its inauguration in 1935, and President Carlos Menem relocated the ministry to a building near the Casa Rosada in 1991,[12] allowing the then Ministry of Health and Social Action to have a new headquarters. After the split during the De la Rúa presidency, of the 22 floors of the building, the top 10 floors house the central offices of Social Development and the bottom 11 to the current Ministry of Health. The ground floor office space is split among the two ministries. Social Development also has offices in other 8 locations within the city of Buenos Aires, and offices in at least one city of every province of Argentina.

The building was built from 1932 to 1936, right around the time the government began plans to bulldoze complete blocks of buildings in a north–south corridor to create the 9 de julio avenue. By 1947, bulldozing and construction of the avenue reached the southern tip by Moreno street, but the building was spared from demolition, as it was the Ortiz Basualdo palace (headquarters of the French Embassy in Argentina) and the Palacio Álzaga Unzué in the northern end of the avenue. The avenue thus currently has a choke point between Belgrano avenue and Moreno Street, where the car lanes have to go around this building. It is the only building with a 9 de julio street address.[12]

The building is notable for having two gigantic metal contour portraits of Eva Perón in the south and north facades, as a reminder of her dedication to the social development and welfare of the socially vulnerable population.[13]

List of ministers

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No. Minister Party Term President
Ministry of Social Assistance (1955)
1 Ernesto Rottger Independent (Military) 23 September 1955 – 13 November 1955 Eduardo Lonardi
Ministry of Social Assistance and Public Health (1958–1966)
2 Héctor Noblía Radical Civic Union 1 May 1958 – 26 March 1962 Arturo Frondizi
3 Tiburcio Padilla Independent 26 March 1962 – 29 March 1962
29 March 1962 – 1 July 1963 José María Guido
4 Horacio Rodríguez Castells Independent 1 July 1963 – 12 October 1963
5 Arturo Oñativia Radical Civic Union 12 October 1963 – 28 June 1966 Arturo Illia
Ministry of Social Welfare (1966–1981)
6 Roberto J. Petracca Independent 28 June 1966 – 1 January 1967 Juan Carlos Onganía
7 Julio Emilio Álvarez Independent 1 January 1967 – 20 March 1967
8 Conrado Bauer Independent 20 March 1967 – 8 June 1969
9 Carlos Consigli Independent 10 June 1969 – 8 June 1970
10 Francisco Manrique Federal Party 8 June 1970 – 10 February 1971 Marcelo Levingston
11 Amadeo Frúgoli Democratic Party 10 February 1971 – 23 March 1971
12 Francisco Manrique Federal Party 23 March 1971 – 8 August 1972 Alejandro Lanusse
13 Oscar Puiggrós Christian Democratic Party 8 August 1972 – 25 May 1973
14 José López Rega Justicialist Party 25 May 1973 – 13 July 1973 Héctor Cámpora
13 July 1973 – 12 October 1973 Raúl Lastiri
12 October 1973 – 1 July 1974 Juan Domingo Perón
1 July 1974 – 11 July 1975 Isabel Perón
15 Carlos Villone Justicialist Party 11 July 1975 – 20 July 1975
16 Rodolfo Roballos Independent 20 July 1975 – 11 August 1975
17 Carlos Emery Justicialist Party 11 August 1975 – 29 October 1975
18 Aníbal Demarco Justicialist Party 29 October 1975 – 24 March 1976
19 Julio Bardi Independent (Military) 29 March 1976 – 30 October 1978 Jorge Rafael Videla
20 Jorge A. Fraga Independent (Military) 30 October 1978 – 29 March 1981
Ministry of Social Action (1981–1983)
21 Carlos Lacoste Independent (Military) 29 March 1981 – 1 July 1982 Roberto Eduardo Viola
Leopoldo Galtieri
22 Adolfo Navajas Artaza Independent 1 July 1982 – 10 December 1983 Reynaldo Bignone
Ministry of Health and Social Action (1983–1999)
23 Aldo Neri Radical Civic Union 10 December 1983 – 15 April 1986 Raúl Alfonsín
24 Conrado Storani Radical Civic Union 15 April 1986 – 16 September 1987
25 Ricardo Barrios Arrechea Radical Civic Union 16 September 1987 – 26 May 1989
26 Enrique Beveraggi Radical Civic Union 26 May 1989 – 8 July 1989
27 Julio Corzo Justicialist Party 8 July 1989 – 23 September 1989 Carlos Menem
28 Antonio Erman González Christian Democratic Party 23 September 1989 – 14 December 1989
29 Eduardo Bauzá Justicialist Party 15 December 1989 – 20 September 1990
30 Alberto Kohan Justicialist Party 20 September 1990 – 16 January 1991
31 Avelino Porto Justicialist Party 16 January 1991 – 3 December 1991
32 Julio César Aráoz Justicialist Party 3 December 1991 – 22 April 1993
33 Alberto José Mazza Justicialist Party 22 April 1993 – 10 December 1999
Ministry of Social Development (1999–2018)
34 Graciela Fernández Meijide Broad Front 10 December 1999 – 12 March 2001 Fernando de la Rúa
35 Marcos Makón Independent 12 March 2001 – 20 March 2001
36 Juan Pablo Cafiero Broad Front 20 March 2001 – 22 October 2001
37 Daniel Sartor Radical Civic Union 22 October 2001 – 21 December 2001
38 María Nélida Doga Justicialist Party 12 February 2002 – 25 May 2003 Eduardo Duhalde
39 Alicia Kirchner Justicialist Party 25 May 2003 – 10 December 2005 Néstor Kirchner
40 Juan Carlos Nadalich Justicialist Party 10 December 2005 – 14 August 2006
41 Alicia Kirchner Justicialist Party 14 August 2006 – 10 December 2007
Kolina 10 December 2007 – 10 December 2015 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
42 Carolina Stanley Republican Proposal 10 December 2015 – 5 September 2018 Mauricio Macri
Ministry of Health and Social Development (2018–2019)
42 Carolina Stanley Republican Proposal 5 September 2018 – 10 December 2019 Mauricio Macri
Ministry of Social Development (2019–2023)
43 Daniel Arroyo Renewal Front 10 December 2019 – 10 August 2021 Alberto Fernández
44 Juan Zabaleta Justicialist Party 10 August 2021 – 13 October 2022
45 Victoria Tolosa Paz Justicialist Party 13 October 2022 – 10 December 2023

References

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  1. ^ "Presupuesto 2021". Ministerio de Economía (in Spanish). 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  2. ^ Qué ministerios ELIMINÓ Javier MILEI tras su ASUNCIÓN on Cronista.com, 10 Dec 2023
  3. ^ "El Historiador :: Datos y estadísticas :: Presidentes y ministros de Argentina (1776 - 2010) - Mandatarios y gabinetes del territorio nacional". 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  4. ^ "El Historiador :: Datos y estadísticas :: Presidentes y ministros de Argentina (1776 - 2010) - Mandatarios y gabinetes del territorio nacional". 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  5. ^ "El Historiador :: Datos y estadísticas :: Presidentes y ministros de Argentina (1776 - 2010) - Mandatarios y gabinetes del territorio nacional". 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. ^ "El Historiador :: Datos y estadísticas :: Presidentes y ministros de Argentina (1776 - 2010) - Mandatarios y gabinetes del territorio nacional". 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  7. ^ "De la Rúa creará dos nuevos ministerios". La Nación (in Spanish). 18 November 1999. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  8. ^ Rosemberg, Jaime (2018-09-03). "Reducen de 22 a 11 los ministerios, pero no hay cambios de nombres". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  9. ^ "En su primer Boletín Oficial, Alberto Fernández modificó la ley de Ministerios con las nuevas carteras". www.ambito.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  10. ^ "LEY DE MINISTERIOS". servicios.infoleg.gob.ar. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  11. ^ "Dónde estamos". Argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. ^ a b "El edificio de Obras Públicas, un gigante que cumple 80 años". www.lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  13. ^ "Cristina inauguró el retrato en homenaje a Evita". www.perfil.com. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
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