Latin American countries urge to renew commitment to sustainable development

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean urged this Tuesday to revitalize the commitment to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and promote policies that accelerate the fulfillment of the Development Goals.

The call took place during the inauguration of the seventh meeting of the Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Sustainable Developmentwhich will be held until Thursday the 18th at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago de Chile.

The opening session was inaugurated by the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, among other authorities, and was attended by representatives of the 33 countries of the region, civil society and international organizations, including the United Nations.

Amina Mohammed highlighted that, despite efforts, the region is on track to achieve only 22% of the Development Goal targets, a trend seen around the world.

However, he said there is hope, referring to the political declaration issued by States during the Development Goals Summit in September 2023.

“But the declaration is only the first step. It must be followed by concrete, ambitious and transformative measures that put countries on the path to meeting their climate commitments and the Development Goals for 2030,” said Mohammed.

Challenges and opportunities

The vice president listed the areas in which there are “significant opportunities” in the region.

Mohammed referred to the urgency of combining climate action with a fair and sustainable energy transition. He noted that although Latin America and the Caribbean have achieved almost universal access to energy, many disparities remain and two-thirds of energy supplies continue to come from fossil fuels.

Furthermore, in 2020, climate action financing in the region amounted to 0.5% of regional GDP, well below estimates that close to 5% is needed to achieve regional commitments.

On the other hand, the vice president urged addressing inequalities by transforming food systems.

He recalled that the region is the largest net exporter of food in the world and yet has the highest cost of a healthy diet compared to all other regions.

Transforming food systems could improve the performance of the agricultural sector and address structural income disparities, he said.

Thirdly, he referred to the transformation of education. He noted that although most countries in this region have almost achieved universal primary education, there is still some way to go in secondary and post-secondary education. “The time has also come to take advantage of the opportunities that digitalization offers and to ensure that teachers are supported, trained and equipped for these and other important changes.”

Finally, Mohammed highlighted the need for investments in digital public infrastructure and the expansion of digital connectivity.