At the thirty-sixth session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), held in Mexico City from 23 to 27 May 2016, the member States adopted resolution 700 (XXXVI), Mexico Resolution, which established the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development as a regional mechanism to follow up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its means of implementation, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Economic and Social Council subsequently endorsed the establishment of the Forum in its resolution 2016/12.

The Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development will be State-led and open to the participation of Latin American and Caribbean countries. It will be convened under the auspices of ECLAC and will be guided by the principles established for all follow-up and review processes by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly. It will involve States, the private sector and civil society, as well as subsidiary bodies of ECLAC, development banks, other United Nations agencies and regional integration blocs. The Forum should provide useful opportunities peer learning, including through of voluntary reviews, the sharing of best practices and discussion of shared targets.