CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of strengthening cooperation between both organizations dedicated to promoting the sustainable economic development of the region. The signing took place within the framework of the CLXXVII CAF board meeting, which takes place on March 7 in Santiago, Chile.
“CAF and ECLAC are two organizations very dedicated to promoting the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent years, we have started very strong cooperation ties that we want to promote and reinforce by signing this document. We are proud of our work together and we aim to continue generating initiatives that benefit the entire region”, pointed out the Executive President of CAF, Sergio Díaz-Granados.
“I want to highlight and recognize the importance of the alliance between CAF and ECLAC that we are formalizing today with the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding. Two institutions committed to the development of the region decide to join capacities, efforts and search for synergy at the precise moment in which the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are being hit by a series of cascading crises that have exacerbated gaps and created painful situations for large groups of the population. The situation compels us and both institutions are committed to joining forces to benefit our region!”, For his part, the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, declared.
With the agreement, both organizations seek to establish a general cooperation framework that promotes joint actions to promote regional integration and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this way, CAF and ECLAC committed to working together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda; the fight against climate change, with special emphasis on disaster prevention and management; initiatives for the conservation of natural capital; social, gender and equality policies; energy transition; regional integration and trade and financing for development, among others.
The Memorandum contemplates the exchange of information and knowledge between both organizations, the development of joint events and the development of an Annual CAF – ECLAC Conference, research activities and collective publications, organization of training experiences, among others.
The signature materialized within the framework of activities related to the CLXXVII meeting of the CAF Board of Directors, which are being held for the first time in Chile from March 6 to 9, at ECLAC premises. Two joint high-level meetings were also held during the day, in which ministers and authorities from various countries in the region participated, as well as renowned personalities and experts from international and multilateral organizations.
The first of them entitled “Public policies and cooperation for gender equality” was inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs; the Executive President of CAF, Sergio Díaz-Granados; the Undersecretary for Women and Gender Equality of Chile, Luz Pascala Vidal Huiriqueo; and included a keynote address by Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, former Pro Tempore President of UNASUR and the Pacific Alliance, former Executive Director of UN-Women and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
At the event, the participants agreed that parity democracy is far from being fulfilled in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is why they called for more cooperation, more integration, more financing, more women and men committed to gender equality. in making decisions.
Meanwhile, in her keynote speech, the former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet stressed that “gender equality is not a matter of a particular policy, it is an urgency that as countries we must constantly examine. But how are decisions made? If we give crumbs of power to women, we are condemned to put a ceiling on our development”.
The discussion panel was made up of Renata Vargas Amaral, Secretary of International Affairs and Development of Brazil; Claudia Sanhueza Riveros, Undersecretary of Finance of Chile; Luz Pascala Vidal Huiriqueo, Undersecretary for Women and Gender Equity of Chile; Michelle Muschett, Assistant Secretary General, Deputy Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Carolina Leitao, President of the Chilean Association of Municipalities and Mayor of Peñalolén. The conclusions were delivered by María José Torres, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Chile, and Alejandra Claros Borda, CAF Secretary General.
In the afternoon, the “CAF-CEPAL Conference: Rethinking decentralization” was held, which was also inaugurated by the top managers of both entities, and included a high-level dialogue on the challenges of decentralization in the face of the 2030 Agenda, in which they participated Nicolás Grau, Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile; José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia; and Renata Vargas Amaral, Secretary for International Affairs and Development, Ministry of Planning and Budget, Brazil. The meeting ended with reflections by Christian Asinelli, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Programming, CAF, and José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC.
The speakers addressed the important territorial inequalities that still exist in the region and that require improving access to opportunities and financing to develop initiatives and public policies at the local and subnational level. Although there have been advances in several countries, such as fiscal and regulatory frameworks, the need to improve local capacities and education, among other matters, persists. In this area, productive development policies -which can be built from the bottom up, not only from the central governments- and the dialogue between the different actors are fundamental axes, they pointed out.
CAF -development bank of Latin America- has the mission of promoting sustainable development and regional integration, through the financing of projects in the public and private sectors, the provision of technical cooperation and other specialized services. Established in 1970 and currently made up of 21 countries -19 from Latin America and the Caribbean, along with Spain and Portugal- and 13 private banks, it is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge for the region. rmation in www.caf.com
CAF, Strategic Communication Department, [email protected]
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The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was created on February 25, 1948 to contribute to the economic development of Latin America and strengthen the economic relations of the countries of the region, both among themselves and with the other nations of the world. Subsequently, its work was extended to the Caribbean countries and the objective of promoting social development was incorporated. The 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are members of ECLAC, along with some nations from North America, Europe and Asia that maintain historical, economic and cultural ties with the region. In total, there are 46 member states, and 14 associate members, a legal status agreed for some non-independent territories of the Caribbean. rmation at www.cepal.org
For inquiries, contact ECLAC’s Public Information Unit in Santiago de Chile.
Email: [email protected]; Telephone: (56 2) 2210 2040.
