It is urgent to address the gaps and asymmetries that prevent Latin America and the Caribbean from making a green and fair transition, Mario Cimoli, Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), stressed today during the opening of a dialogue of experts carried out in the framework of the preparation of the annual report Latin American Economic Outlook (LEO) 2022, prepared jointly with the OECD Development Center, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the European Union (EU).
At the opening of the meeting, entitled “Sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards a greener and fairer transition”, Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Director of the Development Center of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also spoke. ), and Ewout Sandker, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Chile.
Latin America and the Caribbean is going through a difficult time, with more than one country experiencing a complex economic, social and political situation, largely due to macroeconomic conditions (high inflation and high energy and hydrocarbon prices). and to external restrictions, raised Mario Cimoli.
The Executive Secretary ai of ECLAC appealed to “have a change in all the parameters that impact environmental sustainability and also make a just transition”, if you want to increase productivity, reduce informality, create quality jobs and advance in inclusion and equality in the countries of the region.
For this, it is necessary to recognize and reverse the industrial and productive asymmetries of Latin America and the Caribbean with respect to other regions, a key aspect to solve the problems of productivity and informality in the region, said Cimoli, who hopes that this debate will translate into proposals for concrete policies in the forthcoming 15th edition of the LEO report.
Along the same lines, Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, from the OECD, thanked the strong alliance forged between the different institutions and assured that the LEO report has become a key reference for the debate on public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Similarly, the representative agreed that “the green transition is not only an urgent task to address climate change, but also an unprecedented opportunity to drive progress in the region if we adopt the right policies.” “The green agenda gives us the opportunity to create better and formal jobs, to raise productivity and promote the transformation of our productive structure and our energy matrix, as well as to reconnect with our citizens,” she stressed.
Finally, Ewout Sandker, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Chile, pointed out that the bloc is accelerating its energy transition, more so now due to the war in Ukraine, which means that international partnerships are becoming increasingly important. “The European Union will continue to be a partner of Chile and Latin America and the Caribbean, in view of the multiple ties that unite us, added to common visions and interests, in order to continue contributing to regional development and contribute to the achievement of the Goals of Sustainable Development and the 2030 Agenda, supporting joint actions based on multilateralism, collaboration and mutual learning”, he emphasized.
The expert dialogue held in a hybrid manner at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago de Chile included the following thematic sessions: Strategic sectors for a new style of development: The role of renewable energies and electromobility; Productive transformation, sustainability and circular economy; Labor market and social protection policies for the transition; and the green transition in a context of low growth: the key role of financing.
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