First Meeting of the Regional Conference on South-South Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean

Likewise, it sought to examine the experiences of South-South and triangular cooperation of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and advance in their assessment, in coordination with the work carried out in the various subsidiary bodies of the Commission.

South-South Cooperation and the 2030 Agenda

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, made a presentation entitled Progress and challenges for South-South cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentstressing that international development cooperation, particularly South-South and triangular cooperation, are essential for sustainable development and for improving the standard of living of the population through the exchange of information, knowledge, technology, experiences and mobilization of resources.

This presentation was followed by five round tables in which the member countries and other actors analyzed the challenges of international cooperation for development in the new global context, the assessment and evaluation of South-South and triangular cooperation, multi-stakeholder cooperation and international cooperation in the comprehensive management of risks and natural disasters. Likewise, the participants aligned positions and analyzed cooperation mechanisms with a view to the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Unionwhich will take place in July 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.

In the Resolution 1(I) of the Regional Conference on South-South Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, approved by the delegates, the governments requested the Presiding Officers and the member countries of the Conference, with the support of the Secretariat, to analyze ways to promote international cooperation for development, including innovative mechanisms that go beyond the criteria graduation based on gross domestic product per capita, such as multidimensional or vulnerability indicators that are discussed in the region, so as not to leave anyone behind, and that take into account the conceptual advances in the region regarding gaps and development traps. They also requested to promote the strengthening of synergies with the other subsidiary bodies of ECLAC and associations with other actors such as development banks, the private sector and regional and subregional integration mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder alliances with civil society, local governments and the academic sector on issues of international cooperation for development.

rmation about the First Meeting of the Conference can be found here.

The Presiding Officers of the Conference, elected at the First Meeting of the Conference held at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago on May 30 and 31, 2023, was made up of Argentina in the presidency, and Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico and Uruguay in the vice presidencies. The meeting was attended by more than 300 participants, including 100 government delegates, 35 experts from the United Nations system and from regional and international organizations, and more than 60 representatives from civil society, the private sector, and academia.