ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Met with Ambassadors to Share His Vision on Institutional Priorities and Preparations for the Upcoming Forum on Sustainable Development

21 March 2023|News

The Sixth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development will be held on April 26-28, 2023 at the Commission's headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

Reunión con Embajadores

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), held an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Chile to present his vision regarding institutional priorities and the preparations for the Sixth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, among other topics.

This was the first formal meeting with Ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives of ECLAC's Member States and associate members since José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs took office on October 3, 2022, after having been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

In his presentation, ECLAC's Executive Secretary gave a general overview of the changes in globalization observed in the last few decades, which included an analysis of geopolitical trends, the evolution of the multilateral trade system, and the position of Latin America and the Caribbean.

In this context, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs presented the 10 priority policy areas for the transformation of the development model that is being proposed by ECLAC. These areas are: Productivity-productive development-employment-inclusive growth; Inequality and social mobility; Gaps in social protection; Education and vocational training; Gender equality and the care society; Sustainability and climate change; Digital transformation; Migration; Regional economic integration; and Macroeconomics for development, with "Governance and institutional capacity strengthening" as a cross-cutting objective.

He also presented a list of opportunities for investment and collaboration between countries, which, in addition to being of interest for public policy formulation, will be presented by ECLAC at the next Ibero-American Summit (March 25) and the EU-CELAC Summit (July 17-18).

The senior UN official reviewed the activities that have been carried out by ECLAC since he took the helm in October and shared this year's calendar of important events, which mainly consist of meetings of the institution's subsidiary bodies.

While addressing the diplomatic corps, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs also highlighted the fact that ECLAC is celebrating 75 years in existence in 2023, with the commitment to continue working for a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future for Latin America and the Caribbean.

On February 25, a website was launched that explains ECLAC's origins along with the evolution of its thinking and current institutional priorities, and numerous commemorative activities are scheduled to take place this year, he said.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the Commission, Luis F. Yáñez, spoke about the preparations for the Sixth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which will be held on April 26-28 in Santiago with Argentina serving as Chair.

The Forum is the regional mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets, its means of implementation, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The Forum is open to the participation of all Latin American and Caribbean countries and is convened under ECLAC's auspices.

Each year it brings together governments, United Nations organizations, regional and subregional integration blocs, development banks, civil society, the academic sector and the private sector, with the aim of promoting peer learning for the 2030 Agenda's implementation through voluntary reviews, the exchange of good practices and the discussion of shared goals.

The Forum's conclusions and recommendations are presented annually to the United Nations' High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development as part of the regional contributions to the global process of follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda.

Participating in the informational meeting on Tuesday were representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The members of the diplomatic corps expressed gratitude for the meeting along with their intention to continue strengthening the spaces of cooperation between ECLAC and their respective countries.

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