Advancing social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean is more urgent than ever

The Second Regional Seminar on Social Development, organized by ECLAC in collaboration with the ILO and PAHO, in the framework of work with the German Cooperation, through its project “Transformative Reactivation”, and the Facility for Development in Transition concludes of the European Union.

The main topics discussed by Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean, authorities, officials and officials as well as experts at the international level were the following:

• Strategic guidelines for pension reform debates in the region;
• Reform challenges in pension systems in the region and the new scenario after the pandemic
• Structural problems for equality in health and COVID19;
• Strengthening of social protection systems

The participation of Volker Oel, Commissioner for Latin America of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, stands out on behalf of the German Cooperation, emphasizing the role of social protection systems and the importance of exchanging experiences and regional and international cooperation to avoid setbacks in social development in the region and to advance in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda. “Social protection must be understood as a key element for governance, especially in times of crisis.”

In turn, Dr. Rolf Schmachtenberg, Parliamentary Undersecretary, Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) of Germany, participated in the panel “Strategic guidelines for pension reform debates in the region: Moving forward with solidarity, equality and sustainability ”, together with Dr. Walter Borja Rojas, Head of the Office of Previsional Standardization of Peru and Helmut Schwarzer, Head of the Unit of Public Finances, Actuarial and Statistical Services, Department of Social Protection of the ILO, among others.

The meeting was recorded and is available under the following link: https://live.cepal.org/social/

Presentations and ECLAC briefing note: https://www.cepal.org/es/eventos/second-seminario-regional-desarrollo-social-seguro-social-la-crisis-prolongada