Cosanpa discusses the promotion of racial equity in public service
The company held an inter-institutional seminar in commemoration of National Black Consciousness Day
The implementation of policies and the exchange of experiences developed in public institutions was one of the objectives of the II Seminar Paths to Racial Equity, promoted by the Water and Sanitation Company of Pará (Cosanpa), as part of the actions commemorating National Black Consciousness Day, celebrated this November.
In addition to representatives from Cosanpa, the seminar held this week included participants from the Attorney General's Office of the State of Pará (PGE), the State Department of Finance (Sefa), and the Court of Accounts of Pará (TCE), and was supported by the Center for Studies and Functional Improvement (Ceaf) of the Public Ministry of the State of Pará (MPPA).
The shared work demonstrated how current legislation can guide the realization of racial equality in public institutions and the positive impact of such initiatives beyond sanitation, as explained by Tatiana Costa, coordinator of the Sanitation Development Project of Pará (Prodesan Pará).
“Cosanpa, through Prodesan, has the responsibility to implement improvements in water supply and sewage services in Belém, Ananindeua, and Marituba. This allows us to change the reality of many people, especially black women, who various studies indicate are the most affected by the lack of sanitation,” said Tatiana Costa.
The event included the sharing of best practices such as the implementation of a racial census and an intersectional gender policy. “In the last year, we carried out more than 30 actions aimed at intersectional gender literacy in the Company, with about 480 employees participating. Now we want to increase the number of participants and encourage racial self-declaration procedures, so that the data reflects the reality of Cosanpa and the path to be followed,” highlighted Natasha Vasconcelos, deputy coordinator of Institutional Strengthening, Gender, and Communication of Prodesan Pará.
For prosecutor Ibrahim Rocha, “there is no public service without people, and this self-knowledge of diversity is essential for the improvement of essential services, such as sanitation,” he said.
Ana Cristina Viana, director of the Treasury School of Sefa, reinforced the importance of incorporating themes related to racial equity in the training of public servants. “Education transforms, and with this type of meeting, we have the opportunity to show how important knowledge about racial equity is for society and human development,” said Ana Cristina.
Inter-institutional Pact - The holding of the Seminar is one of Cosanpa's actions as a signatory of the Inter-institutional Pact for Racial Equity, established by the State Court of Accounts (TCE-PA), to promote the networked promotion of racial equity in the Pará territory, focusing on pedagogical and guiding actions.
“This institutional network arises not only to implement but also to demand the effectiveness and deepening of racial public policies in Pará, which has about 70% of the self-declared black population, but we do not see this representativeness in various social and professional sectors,” added lawyer Paulo Victor Squires from Sefa.
