Executive meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean is a subsidiary body of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), dedicated to the follow-up of population and development matters, international migration, indigenous peoples, Afrodescendent populations, and ageing. The Conference meets every two years, while its Presiding Officers meet at least once between ordinary sessions. 

The Presiding Officers elected at the third session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Lima from 7–9 August 2018, are Peru (Chair), Argentina, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Suriname and Uruguay (Vice-Chairs). 

In view of the situation caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Population and Development decided to postpone the fourth session of the Regional Conference, which was to be held in the fourth quarter of 2020 in a country and date to be specified. 

Given this circumstance, the Chair of the Conference, the Government of Peru, decided to organize five virtual dialogues, with the support of the Presiding Officers, the technical secretariat and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to analyze the sociodemographic situation in the countries of the region in the context of the pandemics and its possible short-, medium- and long-term impacts on the most vulnerable population groups, in the light of the priority measures of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development and the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The dialogues provided an opportunity for reflection and sharing of experiences and lessons learned on the main difficulties and challenges faced by governments of the region in their efforts to mitigate the effects of the health crisis —particularly regarding the provision of care for the most vulnerable population groups. 

The executive meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean was held virtually on 20 May 2021. The main objective of the meeting was to confirm the convening of the fourth session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, which has been scheduled to take place during the first half of 2022. Delegates from all member countries of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference participated in the meeting.