Side event at the HLPF 2024: Increase legislative foresight and anticipatory governance capacities through the creation of a network of Future Commissions of the parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean to accelerate the 2030 Agenda

ECLAC organized the First Regional Conference of the Parliamentary Future Commissions in Santiago, Chile, June 20 and 21 of this year, to launch a high-level initiative to increase legislative foresight and anticipatory governance capacities through the establishment of a network of Future Commissions of the parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean. The prospective and strategic function of the countries is essential and must be organized so that it is a permanent exercise in which the various political forces with parliamentary representation participate. The purpose of legislative foresight is to anticipate the strategic options that the State has, based on long-term thinking that adopts State policies and effectively coordinate the public agenda, not only of Congress but of the country as a whole, through a greater capacity for permanent social dialogue. This involves building bridges, coordinating actors, generating consensus and alliances that allow us to face these great challenges. Latin America urgently needs to strengthen its capacity to think about the future, both in the legislative and executive spheres. Most parliaments in the region lack solid institutions, with few exceptions – Chile and Uruguay – that help govern with a long-term perspective. However, some other countries in the region have certain initiatives, at different levels of development, through which they intend to launch future commissions. This event aims to deepen debates on the capacities of legislative foresight and anticipatory governance since the establishment of the network of Future Commissions of the parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean. In particular, the event seeks to highlight the experiences of Chile and Uruguay as pioneers of foresight in the region and motivate other countries to follow their example to navigate uncertainty and imagine better futures for governance and accelerate the achievement of the 17 Goals of Sustainable Development (SDG), ahead of the Future Summit in September 2024 and for a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future on the road to 2030 and beyond.