President of Peru, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Executive Secretary of ECLAC and representative of the Government of Argentina to open the 40th session of the Economic[...]

7 October 2024|Announcement

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte; the second highest authority of the United Nations Amina Mohammed; ECLAC's top official José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs; and a high-level representative from Argentina, will open the most important biennial meeting of this UN regional organization this Wednesday, October 9, in Lima, Peru.

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The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will hold on October 9-11 in Lima, Peru its Fortieth Session, the United Nations regional commission's most important biennial meeting, where it will present its proposal for a transformation to move towards a more productive, inclusive and sustainable development model in the region.

At this international event - which will draw the participation of authorities from ECLAC's 46 Member States and its 14 associate members, along with representatives of the United Nations system and of non-governmental organizations - countries will have the opportunity to debate about the region's economic, social and environmental development, examine the activities carried out by the Commission the previous year, and set the priorities for the programme of work that will guide the Commission's future endeavors.

The meeting will be inaugurated on Wednesday, October 9, at 2 p.m. local time in Peru (GMT -5) by Dina Boluarte Zegarra, President of Peru; Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (pre-recorded video); and José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC. Also participating will be Samuel Ortiz Basualdo, the Ambassador of Argentina in Peru, in his capacity as representative of the country serving as Chair of the thirty-ninth session of ECLAC.

At the gathering, the Commission will present the region's countries with a position document entitled Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformations and How to Manage Them, which analyzes the current situation in terms of the three development traps in which ECLAC sees the region caught: one involving low capacity for growth; another of high inequality, low social mobility and weak social cohesion; and a third trap of low institutional capacities and weak governance.

In addition to these three traps, the Commission has identified a ten-point catalogue of development gaps, some of which are aligned with the three traps. And with regard to what to do, 11 major transformations are suggested that are considered vital for moving towards more productive, inclusive and sustainable development.

Four of these transformations have been selected for more in-depth analysis in this report, with emphasis on the "hows": a) a major productive transformation to achieve stronger, sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth; b) a major transformation consisting of reducing inequality and promoting inclusion and social mobility; c) a major transformation consisting of fostering sustainability and combating climate change; and d) the great transformation in financing for development. The document answers questions about these transformations and offers analysis, guidance and directions on how to manage them.

In addition, on the afternoon of October 9, a gathering of foreign ministers and senior authorities from ECLAC member countries will take place to discuss the outcomes of the Summit of the Future, which was held on September 22-23, 2024 in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly's 79th session. ECLAC's session will be the first occasion on which the region's countries will be able to dialogue about regional implementation of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, and how ECLAC's proposals can contribute to this.

The authorities will also participate in a high-level seminar comprising four thematic panels that will address three of the 11 vital transformations that have been identified: how to achieve stronger, sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth; how to reduce inequality and foster inclusion and social mobility; how to foster sustainability and address climate change; and the challenges of financing for development.

The meeting will mark the start of Peru's period serving as chair of ECLAC, which will last until the next session (in 2026), along with the end of Argentina's term as chair (which began when the country hosted the 39th session, held in Buenos Aires in 2022).

ECLAC's fortieth session will be transmitted online via various platforms: the website www.cepal.org, the web page https://live.cepal.org/ and the Commission's institutional accounts on X (@cepal_onu) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu).

The full programme, along with general information, is available at the event's special website: https://periododesesiones.cepal.org/40/en.

What: ECLAC's Fortieth Session.

When: Wednesday, October 9 to Friday, October 11, 2024.

Who:

• Authorities from ECLAC's member countries and associate members, representatives of the United Nations system and of non-governmental organizations.

Inauguration, Wednesday, October 9, at 2 p.m. local time in Peru (GMT -5):

• Dina Boluarte Zegarra, President of Peru
• Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (pre-recorded video)
• Samuel Ortiz Basualdo, Ambassador of Argentina in Peru, in his capacity as representative of the country serving as Chair of the thirty-ninth session of ECLAC
• José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC

Where: Swissôtel Lima Convention Center. Via Central 150 Centro, Av. Santo Toribio 173, Lima, Peru.

Also by virtual connection via various platforms:

• ECLAC's website www.cepal.org
• Web page https://live.cepal.org/
• Official account on X @cepal_onu (https://x.com/cepal_onu )
• Official account on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu

For queries related to journalistic coverage of this event, contact ECLAC's Public Information Unit in Santiago, Chile. Email: [email protected]; Telephone: (56) 22210 2040.

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