Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean discuss how to recalibrate the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the region

September 29, 2022, Cuenca, Ecuador – In a context of greater uncertainty, in which the region continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts, the XIV Ministerial Forum on Development in Latin America and the Caribbean begins today: “Recalibrating… How to resume the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, an effort to analyze how through social protection, effective governance and financing for development it is possible to return to the path of the SDGs in the region.

Within the framework of the Forum, the Fifth Meeting of the Executive Board of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is held, chaired by Antigua and Barbuda.

The two-day event will feature the participation of global and regional specialists in sustainable development and high-ranking government officials, including Guillermo Lasso, President of the Republic of Ecuador; James Robinson, Professor and Director of the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts, University of Chicago; Isabel Saint Malo, Former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, and Fellow of Harvard University, among others. The dialogues will be organized around four ministerial tables, each of which will delve into the mechanisms necessary to adjust the course of development.

Esteban Bernal, Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion of Ecuador, emphasized: “For the first time, Ecuador is hosting the Ministerial Forum on Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently and in the post-pandemic context, no country can develop in isolation and without the collaborative work of all nations. We are in a meeting that will present development perspectives from the regional unity and with a view to the near future”.

“The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are still facing the impact of COVID-19, added to the pressures generated by the conflict in Ukraine, environmental pressures and, in general, a context of greater uncertainty and risk. This poses challenges for the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the SDGs, but it also creates opportunities to rethink development strategies and open spaces for regional collaboration that allow us to create more inclusive, fair and resilient societies, where no one is left behind. This Forum gives us the opportunity to share experiences and take advantage of the lessons learned in recent years, forging a firm path towards sustainable development in the region”, said Luis Felipe López-Calva, UN Under-Secretary-General and Regional Director for Latin America. and the Caribbean.

Raúl García-Buchaca, Deputy Executive Secretary for Administration and Analysis of Programs of ECLAC, highlighted the importance of social institutions, one of the central axes of the Regional Agenda for Inclusive Social Development (ARDSI), approved by the countries of the region within the framework of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. “Strengthening social institutions is key to implementing universal social protection systems and social and labor inclusion policies, as well as to fulfill State commitments and provide continuity, legitimacy and coherence to policies and programs. This is even more urgent in the current situation, characterized by new social needs and demands due to the pandemic, disasters, rising inflation, the food security crisis and growing poverty.”

Contact information:

In New York:

Ana Maria Currea, [email protected], +202309 4981

In Panama:

Vanessa Hidalgo, [email protected], +1646 3389462

In Santiago:

Public Information Unit, [email protected], (56 2) 2210 2040