ECLAC’s Latin American School of Development Studies Program begins its 25th version

The twenty-fifth version of the Development Policy Studies Program of the Latin American School of Development Studies (ELADES) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was launched on Thursday, July 11, 2024, with the participation of the institution’s Deputy Executive Secretary, Javier Medina; the Director of the Productive and Business Development Division, Marco Llinás; the Coordinator of ELADES, Felipe Correa; and the Director of the ECLAC Review, Miguel Torres.

In the Fernando Fajnzylber Auditorium, the Deputy Executive Secretary welcomed the 29 students, thanking them for their vote of confidence in ECLAC. In his speech, he analyzed the role of ECLAC and ELADES, in particular, as a center of excellence, an intellectual beacon and a school of thought, both in research and in technical assistance and in contributing to the solution of regional problems. “For us, it is very important to have contact with youth and the new generations. They will not only receive training, but they will also contribute with their own knowledge and experiences,” said Javier Medina Vásquez at the opening of the Program. In addition, he took advantage of the opportunity to introduce those who make up the academic body of this version, highlighting the advantage of having professionals from different disciplines that address different dimensions of development, since it allows for a holistic, integral and interdisciplinary perspective of the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. He concluded his speech by inviting students to maintain permanent contact with ECLAC throughout their lives and to develop a positive and forward-looking vision of the region, aimed at taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the transformation of the development model, at a decisive historical moment of paradigm shift at the global level.

The opening session also included remarks by the Director of ECLAC’s Division of Productive and Business Development, Marco Llinás, who, in addition to recalling the context of Latin America and the Caribbean, a region facing a new “lost decade” due to the low rate of economic growth, addressed the importance of delving deeper into the “what” and the “how” to foster the transformations in development models that the region requires. “We insist, in this new stage of ECLAC, that we cannot simply repeat policy aspirations as if they were policy recommendations. We must delve deeper into those “what” and those “how”,” he emphasized. Llinás concluded his speech by inviting the 29 students – from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay – to make the most of the experience: “Challenge your professors intellectually, asking them for the implications and practical recommendations that arise from the models and conceptual approaches that you will review over the next few weeks. Put yourselves in the shoes of the policy makers and think about whether we are giving them the necessary inputs to be able to design the instruments and programs that generate the necessary transformations that we want to promote.”

Meanwhile, Felipe Correa, Coordinator of the School, highlighted that this “is a program that has an applied orientation, so that students can collaborate in making and advising on public policy in the different dimensions of development.”

Miguel Torres, Director of CEPAL Magazine, joined in the welcoming remarks, highlighting the advantages that come with the ELADES experience. “It is a place where many doors will open for them, not only theoretical and academic ones, by sharing with the CEPAL team, but also where they will be able to share experiences, create ties and grow their networks,” he said.

During these eight training weeks, academics and experts from ECLAC’s substantive divisions will teach the different classes of the Program, which is structured into six modules: introduction to development, sustainable development, political development, economic development, social development, and personal development.