LIMA, Peru – The 40th Session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is underway here with delegates reaffirming their commitment to initiatives aimed at ensuring more productive, inclusive and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Caribbean delegates among representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) at the 40th Council meeting of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)The ECLAC meeting ends on Friday and has brought together governments and other stakeholders in the region to rethink, reimagine and transform with a forward-looking and long-term vision as LAC seeks to build a future using strengthened and anticipatory governance.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Peru President, Dina Boluarte, said “Peru commits itself to working resolutely to foster cooperation between our countries and carry out coordination to continue making progress on our development priorities”.
In a video message, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, stressed the need for strong multilateral cooperation to deliver sustainable development, and urged for turbocharging implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
“The need for strong multilateral cooperation to deliver sustainable development was reaffirmed by Member States at the Summit of the Future. The resulting Pact for the Future sends an unequivocal message: international cooperation is an imperative for addressing the multitude of crises we face today,” Mohammed said, highlighting the role that ECLAC plays in supporting countries to achieve sustainable development.
ECLAC’s executive secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, urged the region to act and take decisive, integrated and coordinated action that would allow for overcoming development traps and moving towards a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future, as well as to help build a better world in the international scenario.
He noted this “unique and extraordinary time” that the world is living through, and applauded the approval of the Pact of the Future, adopted at the Summit of the Future held at the United Nations last month.
“At ECLAC we believe that, with the proper follow-up, the Pact for the Future can be an accelerator for attaining the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Salazar-Xirinachs noted ECLAC’s 75 years of contributions to the thinking and the execution of economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaffirming its commitment to continue generating critical and innovative thinking, adapted to current challenges and demands in both the region and the world.
Following the opening ceremony, Salazar-Xirinachs presented a position document entitled “Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformation and How to Manage Them” that outlines a new proposal for countries to consider what ECLAC regards as the vital transformations for overcoming the traps and closing the development gaps that are affecting the region.
“This is not just any document, it aspires to charting new courses in ECLAC’s thinking, research and technical assistance and it invites governments and societies to rethink, reimagine and transform with a forward-looking or long-term vision to undertake building the future using strengthened, anticipatory government.”
Salazar-Xirinachs said that this is an innovative proposal that puts emphasis on the importance of moving from the “what” to the “how” to achieve these transformations.
“In other words, it offers recommendations that go beyond lists of goals and aspirations, systematically addressing the challenges of governance, institutional capacities, the political economy and social dialogue for bringing about successful transformations.
“With this document, we aspire to highlighting courses of action that, with a combination of pragmatism and effectiveness, would fuel hope that a brighter future is possible, in a region of peace, committed to development in democracy and to strengthened multilateralism and international cooperation,” he said.
