Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

1. In the past year, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no one is left behind? If yes, please briefly mention these decisions taken by your governing body in 2024 and provide the respective symbols. 

ECLAC’s programme of work is fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda and geared towards the effective delivery of sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions, while leaving no one behind. At the organization’s Fortieth Session, ECLAC presented the document “Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformations and How to Manage Them” with concrete recommendations to achieving more productive, inclusive and sustainable development in the region. The new proposal suggests (i) a productive transformation for higher, sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth; (ii) a transformation to reduce inequality and foster inclusion and social mobility and (iii) a transformation to boost sustainability and combat climate change. The approach was endorsed by its Member States and ECLAC will conduct future studies and formulate public policy proposals to support national capacity-building to advance the SDGs. Other examples for science- and evidence-based solutions include the launch of the Digital Development Observatory (ODD), the School of Digital Transformation and Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean, an expert meeting on Harnessing AI and Digital Government, a seminar to improve the resilience of statistical systems with innovative data and modern technologies, a webinar on promoting the digital transformation of SMEs, an event on location intelligence and geospatial technologies in SIDS and capacity-building for anticipatory governance and legislative foresight to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.

2. During 2024, what actions have your entities taken to improve coordination among UN system entities across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies with a view to increase impact and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda? Please provide any relevant links. 

ECLAC serves as Vice-Chair of the Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) LAC, which unites all UN entities working on sustainable development to ensure full collaboration and coordination of UN assets in addressing key challenges that transcend country borders. For 2024, ECLAC along with its partners, introduced several priorities to improve coordination among UN system entities in the region across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies to accelerate the SDGs. These include (1) promoting regional coherence regarding global priorities, particularly in support system-wide efforts on the six key transitions, with an integrated approach based on the principle of leaving no one behind as a core principle of the 2030 Agenda; (2) supporting RCs and UNCTs in addressing SDG gaps in transboundary and subregional contexts; and (3) building partnerships with regional stakeholders such as international financial institutions and subregional development actors. ECLAC further coordinated the work of all five UN Regional Commissions in 2024, which resulted in several joined publications, audiovisual materials and the organization of high-level events, for example plenary sessions and side events at the HLPF, the Summit of the Future, and the UN Biodiversity Conference, just to name a few.  

3. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or has been in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year? 

4. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work, guidance or reference materials, or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs. 

5. The United Nations has defined six key transitions, or transformative entry points, that can have catalytic and multiplier effects across the SDGs and which have been guiding the UN development system work since the 2023 SDG Summit. In the past year, how has your organization contributed to these transformative actions and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale? Please provide any relevant links.

In its annual progress report "The Challenge of Accelerating the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: Transitions towards Sustainability" launched at the Seventh Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development in April 2024, ECLAC presented a detailed analysis of the six key transitionsfrom the perspective of Latin America and the Caribbean, which encompasses a description of the transition and how that transition supports the SDGs; the current and desired scenario; and the three fundamental action areas to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, namely (i) strategies, plans, policies and programmes; (ii) institutional arrangements; and (iii) investment needs. Some of the key findings are highlighted below: 

• Food systems

The transition to sustainable and resilient food systems requires a comprehensive approach that integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development. Governments, firms, farmers, consumers and civil society must take collective action to transform the production, distribution and consumption of food. Simultaneous support for innovation, international cooperation and a commitment to natural resource management would help the countries of the region to build food systems that feed people, generate fair pay for producers, protect the planet and promote prosperity for generations to come. ECLAC advocates for the redoubling of public policy efforts in the fight against hunger, considering the entire life cycle, through measures such as monitoring of maternal or fetal health during pregnancy and prevention of low birth weight, breastfeeding advocacy, micronutrient fortification, nutritional supplements and food labelling. Public policy proposals developed by ECLAC, FAO and WFP encourage a regional food security plan. The recently launched ECLAC/WFP report "The cost of the double burden of malnutrition: main social and economic impacts in eight Latin American countries" includes policy recommendations to reduce malnutrition, while the ECLAC/FAO/IICA publication “Financing for food security and nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean” presents a first approach to the issue of financing required to eradicate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. 

• Energy access and affordability

ECLAC urges countries to accelerate the transition towards renewable and clean energy sources, electrify the energy matrix, unleash the potential of energy efficiency, and universalize coverage with quality and without intermittence. LAC has enormous renewable potential and opportunities to increase the efficiency and security of the electrical system through regional integration need to be leveraged. The energy transition is already under way in the countries of the region and the challenge remains to accelerate that transition, given its multiplier role in driving the activities and services that will transform the development model into a more sustainable one. During the sixth edition of the Ministerial Meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA 2024), ECLAC played an important role and articulated a strategic vision focused on accelerating the transition towards an efficient and sustainable energy model in the region. At the HLPF 2024, ECLAC coordinated a high-level side event with the other Regional Commissions on the topic of Critical Energy Transition Minerals to Accelerate Progress Towards the SDGs. In the forum "Energy Transition - Bolivia 2050”, ECLAC emphasized the importance of dialogue in the development of public policies to ensure greater legitimacy for the necessary institutional, technological, regulatory, and normative transformations and changes in the governance of the energy transition.

• Digital connectivity

A sustainable digital transition requires enough resources to roll out 5G networks. According to studies conducted by ECLAC, in some countries these needs could exceed US$ 120 billion to achieve maximum national coverage and impact, which would require telecommunications service operators to increase their annual capital expenditures by approximately 40%. To ensure that all people and all productive sectors can enjoy its benefits, the digital transition must be reoriented through strategies that facilitate the re-employment of workers whose jobs are transformed by the transition and the reskilling of adult workers in a changing labour market to enable them to adapt to new demands and ensure that profits are equitably distributed between labour and capital. ECLAC’s Digital Development Observatory (DDO) aims to develop new metrics to understand the dynamics of digitalization in the region and to provide guidelines for their use in policy formulation to close structural productivity and social inclusion gaps through digital development. The Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC) proposes the use of digital technologies as instruments of sustainable development and promotes the development of the digital ecosystem through a process of regional integration and cooperation, strengthening digital policies that promote knowledge, inclusion and equity, innovation and environmental sustainability. 

• Education 

Achieving a sustainable and just education transition requires an in-depth review of education objectives, an analysis of the relevance of education in the current context and efforts to address central issues, such as inequality and resilience in a changing world. The Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean provided an opportunity for a broad debate on effective strategies to achieve the goals of SDG 4 and the commitments outlined in the Transforming Education Summit (TES) . The TES urged countries to mobilize greater resources to increase investment in education, improve equity and efficiency in spending through sustainable financial management, periodic monitoring, and evaluations, as well as the availability of more data and accountability. One of the key agreements reflected in the Declaration of Santiago 2024 was the need to provide a systemic response to the educational challenges of the 21st century, promoting the comprehensive development of learning and competencies, both cognitive, socioemotional, digital, and life skills, and guaranteeing the financial sustainability of education as an enabling condition. In accordance with the Education 2030 Framework for Action and the TES, ECLAC advocates for increased investment in education in the region and education financing has been included in global agreements in recent years.

• Jobs and social protection

A just transition towards sustainability in employment and social protection requires advanced productive development policies that stimulate labour demand as well as progress in the expansion of active labour market policies, particularly those targeting the most vulnerable populations. ECLAC advocates fostering contributory and non-contributory social protection systems to ensure their sustainability and resilience to crises and transitions. In addition, progress must be made towards the establishment of unemployment insurance and other mechanisms that act as automatic stabilizers during crises. ECLAC is closely working together with the ILO to push forward this transformation, which resulted in a diversity of joined publications, for example on the “Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Labour market inclusion of young people and redistribution of care work: challenges and opportunities” and high-level events, such as the “Regional Forum on Trade, Responsible Business Conduct, and Decent Work. ECLAC has continuously been promoting a care society in the region as the transformational change needed to build a new development pattern that puts equality and sustainability on the center. Furthermore, the Fourth Regional Seminar on Social Development organized by ECLAC was dedicated to the topic "Social Protection and Inequality: Latin America and the Caribbean towards the Second World Summit for Social Development of 2025", just to name a few examples.

• Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution

The transition towards resilient and carbon neutral societies and economies is a matter of utmost urgency for limiting average global temperature rise above pre-industrial levels to 1.5 °C. Scientific data on the transition’s trends and scenarios will be indispensable for a more accurate understanding of biophysical and economic changes in different parts of the world. This understanding would enable the implementation of adaptation measures and facilitate other transitions, such as the agrifood transition, the energy transition and the jobs and social protection transition. ECLAC’s Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC) aims to build up a regional agenda on climate ambition and just transition. In its role as a member of the Secretariat of the Group of Independent Experts, ECLAC has contributed to the development of the preliminary report "Debt, Nature and Climate". NDC LAC is a digital tool that provides information on the progress in the implementation and updating of NDCs in the region. ECLAC is a key player in the discussions on policies for protecting biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the richest regions in terms of biological diversity. At COP16 in Colombia, ECLAC stressed the importance of integrating environmental sustainability into social and economic development strategies and promoting public policies that would align biodiversity conservation with the SDGs.

6. Please provide strategies (policies, guidance, plan) and/or collective actions taken to implement the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Council. Please note any challenges foreseen and provide any relevant links. 

ECLAC supports the 2024 Ministerial Declaration by channeling the national interests of its Member States from the regional to the global level and provide policy guidance and support to accelerate the SDGs across local, national and regional levels to foster more integrated solutions. ECLAC strengthens the follow-up and review of the implementation of the SDGs in the region by harnessing data to track progress in analysis of the interlinkages across goals and targets, including policy implications of their synergies and trade-offs, as can be found in the SDG Gateway, the Regional Knowledge Platform on the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean. ECLAC’s Community of Practice for VNR countries offers a regular space for peer-learning between LAC countries throughout the VNR cycle and beyond. The annual meetings of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, including its regional VNR workshops, strengthen the capacities of countries in the formulation of evidence-based voluntary national and local reviews. ECLAC further provides targeted support and technical assistance to countries in the process of developing high-quality reviews, national road maps and more systematic use of accurate and comparable data and anticipatory models and statistical annexes. 

7. What collective efforts is your entity undertaking to support countries in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2025? Please note any achievements, challenges and gaps and provide any relevant links. 

Goal 3 (Good health and well-being)

In October 2024, ECLAC and PAHO/WHO launched the third joint policy document The urgency of investing in health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce inequality and achieve the SDGs, following the 2020 and 2021 documents dedicated to analyzing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report urges countries not to sideline health on the public agenda during the current post-pandemic period, both because of the duty to ensure the population's right to health and because of its fundamental role in achieving inclusive social development in the region. ECLAC advocates for essential transformations in the development models, with health being key for expanding social protection and moving toward more productive, inclusive, and sustainable development. The primary health care strategy should consider integrated services and essential public health functions, multisectoral action, and social participation to transform health systems to reduce inequalities and address setbacks in the implementation of the SDGs. Other examples include a Seminar on the "Challenges in moving towards universal health in Chile: the role of Primary Health Care (PHC) and financial sustainability" and a discussion panel on “Health inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: the persistence of gaps and injustices that hinder inclusive and sustainable social development”. 

Goal 5 (Gender equality)

The Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean has become the main regional intergovernmental forum within the UN on women’s rights and gender equality and has resulted in a progressive Regional Gender Agenda, making region the only in the world with an agenda that steers public policies towards gender equality in law and in practice. The Sixty-sixth meeting of the Presiding Officers will take place in December 2024, organized by ECLAC, as secretariat of the Conference, in coordination with UN-Women. ECLAC further offers training in gender statistics, such a workshop held in the Caribbean subregion to collect, analyze, utilize and disseminate sex-disaggregated data in accordance with international standards and best practices. The Project “Strengthening Feminist Foreign Policy and Feminist International Cooperation through a community of practice between Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Germany and ECLAC” seeks to mainstream the gender perspective and intersectionality in all areas of foreign policy in the selected countries. Further examples include the international seminar “Gender equality in mining: towards an inclusive future”, the briefing for Ministers and High-level Authorities of the Machineries for the Advancement of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean about CSW68 and the panel discussion "The fundamental role of women and gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the Escazú Agreement".

Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth)

In January 2024, ECLAC hosted the ECOSOC Special meeting on “The future of work: towards a productive, inclusive and sustainable global society” to discuss the unprecedented transformation of labour markets owing to factors such as technological advancement, global economic integration and the green transition and take a critical look at key levers of transformation, such as decent work, towards more sustainable and inclusive development. Within the framework of the ECLAC-BMZ/GIZ project “Transformative reactivation: Overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean”, an event was organized to generate a space for debate and exchange on how productive development policies are being designed in today's world. Further examples to accelerate progress SDG 8 include the meeting Connecting the Productivity Challenge with Productive Development Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, the RFSD side event “Discussion on regular migration routes with a view to the creation of a regional labour intermediation system that promotes safe, orderly and regular migration” and the interregional seminar The future of social protection facing a cascade of crises: moving towards universality with solidarity and sustainability. Under the title Skill WAVE: Workshop for Action, Vision and Entrepreneurship, ECLAC will be hosting a series of capacity building workshops in various Caribbean countries, meant to build entrepreneurship skills among target groups to provide tools necessary to enhance entrepreneurship and related business activities, with priority given to women. A joined ECLAC/ILO publication analyzed the challenges and opportunities for the labour inclusion of young people and the redistribution of care work. The Fourth Regional Seminar on Social Development "Social Protection and Inequality: Latin America and the Caribbean towards the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025" aimed to strengthen the design of public policies that allow progress in inclusive social development and thus progress in meeting the goals agreed by the countries in the 2030 Agenda. In this context, ECLAC launched a new publication on non-contributory pension systems in the region.

Goal 14 (Life below water)

To achieve SDG 14 by 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC recommends to move towards a circular economy and the orderly disposal of waste in certain activities that affect the oceans today; protect marine areas; increase resources for the management of marine and coastal areas; prioritize mangrove protection and restoration; recover overexploited fisheries, and improve fisheries management. The Regional Seas Programme involves three conventions in the region: the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (managed by UNEP), the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Area of the South-East Pacific, and the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Marine and Coastal Areas of the Northeast Pacific. The plastic bag bans in a growing number of countries —including Argentina, Chile and Mexico— are a step in the right direction. At the 4^th International Conference on Small Island Developing States in Antigua and Barbuda, ECLAC and UNIC Caribbean launched the “Imagine a World Without Islands” campaign. ECLAC participated in the Peace Boat Reception in Valparaiso as part of the United Nations vision for the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and with the aim of highlighting World Oceans Day 2024 to raise awareness about life below water and encourage positive action for the preservation of our blue planet.

Goal 17 (Partnerships)

ECLAC supports Latin American and Caribbean countries in multiple ways to bolster regional, national and local action and accelerate the achievement of SDG 17, for example via its Community of Practice on VNRs, the annual Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development and its regional VNR workshops, and the SDG Gateway, as mentioned before. Some recent examples include a virtual expert group meeting on statistics for sustainable development in ECLAC associate member countries, a regional meeting on the role of subnational governments in promoting territorial productive articulation initiativesand the RFSD 2024 side event on Financing for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. ECLAC is further implementing a project to generate roadmaps for the integration of statistical and geospatial information in Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador

Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. ECLAC is further collaborating with UNDESA to foster the localization of the 2030 Agenda and the development of VLRs in the region, such as in the framework of a trinational program in the Chaco region of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Together with the GIZ and Aliarse, ECLAC is currently conducting a stakeholder mapping exercise in Latin America and the Caribbean to accelerate the 2030 Agenda and create partnerships with diverse stakeholders. 

If your organization has been part of any initiatives or multi-stakeholder partnerships in the past year that support these goals, please copy the below table to fill out for each initiative/partnership. 

Annex Question 2:

Key achievements of the RCP LAC Issue-based Coalitions include the following: 

Climate Change and Resilience

• Road to COP 28: 6 regional dialogues engaging 5,800 participants and influencing discussions at the XXIII Forum of Ministers of Environment
• Brief on Energy Transitions and virtual dialogue on green economic transformations
• Webinar and summary on the economic and political impact of El Niño

Equitable Growth and Financing for Development

• Merging of the IBC on equitable growth with the IBC on financing for development
• Collaboration with the network of economists of the Resident Coordinator Offices

Governance for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

• Merging of the IBC on crime and violence with the IBC on governance and institutions
• 2 regional briefs on governance challenges and anti-corruption standards
• 2 guidance notes on incarceration and drugs, and a webpage on the UN's position on drugs
• Mapping of UNDS initiatives on access to justice
• Reference guide for the collection, monitoring and reporting of SDG 16 indicators
• United Nations Laboratory on Crime and Corruption (LabCC)

Human Mobility

• Quarterly reports and online dashboard on regional mixed movements

• UN joint analysis, technical support, strategic framework and communication plan on the

  border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti

• Forums for government and civil society dialogue on migration

Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls

• Regional Gender Equality Profile
• Campaigns to address digital violence, cyberbullying and online violence

Youth

• International Youth Day communication package
• Technical support to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the Youth Forum at the VI Regional Forum on Sustainable Development
• Regional Intergenerational Meeting on Youth, Peace, and Security

Populations Left Behind

• Webinar on Indigenous Peoples at the Centre of Sustainable Development
• Inter-agency roundtable on the discriminatory use of criminal laws