Latin American and Caribbean Countries Reaffirmed their Resolve to Keep Moving Forward on Inclusive Social Development and to Forge a Regional Voice in the World

The Latin American and Caribbean countries that are participating in the Sixth Session of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirmed their resolve today to keep working to achieve true inclusive social development and to take advantage of the region's rich history of social innovation to forge a joint position on this issue in multilateral forums, which includes the proposal to adopt a global pact for inclusive social development in Qatar in November.

The intergovernmental gathering - which is taking place on September 2-4 in Brazil's capital - is organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the government of Brazil and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is holding its 16th Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean simultaneously.

The opening ceremony featured remarks by Wellington Dias, Minister of Social Development and Assistance, Family Affairs and the Fight against Hunger of Brazil; Javiera Toro, Minister of Social Development and Family Affairs of Chile, the country that served as Chair of the Conference over the last two years; Almudena Fernández, UNDP's Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean; Silvia Rucks, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Brazil; and José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC (participating virtually).

"This edition of the Regional Conference is taking place on the eve of a historic moment: the Second World Summit for Social Development and the First Leaders' Meeting of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, in Doha, Qatar. This is a unique opportunity to align our voices and forge a shared position - not just between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, but also with the participation of representatives from other regions of the world," stressed Wellington Dias, Brazil's Minister of Social Development and Assistance, Family Affairs and the Fight against Hunger.

Minister Wellington Dias further emphasized that "for decades, our region has been a living laboratory for social innovation: from income transfers to care systems, from school meals to public procurement from family farms, from primary health care and social assistance to the interoperability of social records. This common heritage is a beacon for the world. Therefore, let this Conference be a place to reinforce these achievements, as well as a space for reflection and convergence regarding the measures we should take to avert setbacks and to continue making progress on our inclusive social development."

"We need multilateralism that would have as its backbone the defense of rights and that would move forward on redistributing and strengthening democracy. We in Latin America and the Caribbean can and must take that position to the world. And one of the pillars of this new agenda should be sustainable social development, understood not only as access to basic services but rather as a structural transformation that would reduce gaps, boost capacities and ensure well-being. We want to be very categorical: there can be no sustainable social development without strong, universal and guaranteed social protection. Social protection is our best tool for facing fear, uncertainty and exclusion," stated Javiera Toro, Minister of Social Development and Family Affairs of Chile.

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC's Executive Secretary, celebrated the Regional Conference's 10 years in existence and its consolidation as a space where multiple stakeholders debate the challenges related to poverty, inequality and structural gaps that are faced by the region. He analyzed the Latin American and Caribbean context, characterized by three traps that hinder its development, and lamented the fact that the region continues to be the most unequal in the world. "As is widely accepted and supported by evidence today, inequality hinders economic and job growth, and it is corrosive to social cohesion and the credibility of institutions," he underscored.

"A global pact for inclusive social development must be closely articulated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the pillars addressed at the Summit of the Future, promoting a transformative and comprehensive vision. The details of this proposal arising in Latin America and the Caribbean are explained in the position document Latin America and the Caribbean 30 Years on from the World Summit for Social Development: Towards a Global Pact for Inclusive Social Development, which is being presented at this Sixth Session of the Regional Conference on Social Development," José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs added.

Almudena Fernández, Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), indicated that "Latin America and the Caribbean is facing an unprecedented polycrisis, where social, economic and climate challenges are intermeshed and mutually amplify each other. In this context, social protection is not an expenditure - it is our best investment in stability, cohesion and the future. No country can face these challenges on its own: now more than ever, we need collective leadership and regional cooperation. From Brasilia we send a clear message to the world: this region has the knowledge, the experience and the political will to transform the uncertainty into a resilient, inclusive and sustainable development agenda."

Meanwhile, Silvia Rucks, UN Resident Coordinator in Brazil, welcomed the position document that ECLAC is presenting at the conference, "which invites us to move towards a pact for truly inclusive social development." She deemed this to be "a necessary and opportune call, above all in the Latin America and Caribbean region's current context marked by continued structural inequalities and variable, but significant, levels of fragility in social cohesion."

In a special statement (by video), Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, agreed that "Latin America and the Caribbean, a region with a very rich history of social innovation, has a pivotal role to play. Your leadership and experience are essential in aligning policy priorities with deliberations and outcomes of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha in November. I strongly encourage your governments to participate at the highest levels in the forthcoming Summit."

The Regional Conference is bringing together senior authorities from social ministries and related entities from Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

The Sixth Session of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean is being held with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain/AECID/Spanish Cooperation; Cooperation from the Republic of Korea; the United Nations Development Account; German Cooperation; the European Union; the Federal Data Processing Service (SERPRO); and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA).