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International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

9 August 2019

This year marks the International Year of Indigenous Languages, declared by the United Nations General Assembly to draw attention to the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages. Languages are how we communicate, and they are inextricably linked to our cultures, histories and identity. Almost half of the world’s estimated 6,700 languages – of which most are indigenous -- are in danger of disappearing. With every language that disappears, the world loses a wealth of traditional knowledge. There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in the w…

2030 Agenda and Latin America and the Caribbean: Urgency at critical point

19 July 2019

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have undertaken a huge commitment to the 2030 Agenda with important advances in the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nevertheless, trends reveal that compliance with this global roadmap to 2030 is at a critical point in the region. Nearly four years after its approval, 29 of the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean now have institutional mechanisms for the coordination and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda at the national level, grounded in legal instruments that define the scope and objectives of this work.…

World Population Day 2019

11 July 2019

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the world’s blueprint for a better future for all on a healthy planet. On World Population Day, we recognize that this mission is closely interrelated with demographic trends including population growth, ageing, migration and urbanization. While the world’s population overall continues to increase, this growth is uneven. For many of the world’s least developed countries, the challenges to sustainable development are compounded by rapid population growth as well as vulnerability to climate change. Other countries are facing the challenge of a…

World Environment Day 2019

4 June 2019

The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is air pollution. All around the world -- from megacities to small villages – people are breathing dirty air. An estimated nine out of ten people worldwide are exposed to air pollutants that exceed World Health Organization air quality guidelines. This is lowering life expectancy and damaging economies across the planet. To improve air quality, we must know our enemy. Deaths and illnesses from air pollution are caused by tiny particles that penetrate our defences every time we fill our lungs. These particles come fro…

Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development: An Example of Multilateralism and Regional Cooperation

25 April 2019

Nearly four years after the international community approved the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Goals in 2015, the region’s countries gather at the Third Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development – an occasion conducive to taking stock of what has been achieved and of the challenges being faced at this complex global juncture. This third version of the regional gathering is taking place amid a paradox centered on the weakening of international cooperation, at a time when the scale and complexity of global problems make it more necessary than ev…

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2019

21 March 2019

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an occasion for all of us to renew our promise to end racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred. The recent massacre at two mosques in New Zealand is the latest tragedy rooted in such poison. No country or community is immune from racial and religious hatred and the terrorism of bigots. I am deeply alarmed by the current rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance. Hate speech is entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through soci…

International Women's Day 2019

8 March 2019

Gender equality and women’s rights are fundamental to global progress on peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. We can only re-establish trust in institutions, rebuild global solidarity and reap the benefits of diverse perspectives by challenging historic injustices and promoting the rights and dignity of all. In recent decades, we have seen remarkable progress on women’s rights and leadership in some areas. But these gains are far from complete or consistent – and they have already sparked a troubling backlash from an entrenched patriarchy. Gender equ…

Recognizing Women’s Rights, Essential for Inclusive and Sustainable Development

7 March 2019

Recognizing Women’s Rights, Essential for Inclusive and Sustainable Development Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC Since the start of the 20th century, March has been a key month for fights for the rights of women who, despite persistent hurdles, have made enormous strides in the quest for guaranteeing their physical, economic and decision-making autonomy. In Latin America and the Caribbean, women have been able to overcome obstacles, organize themselves, and forge a regional perspective, while also participating actively in global debates. Despite all these efforts, gender in…

Latin America and the Caribbean vis-à-vis the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

7 December 2018

Latin America and the Caribbean vis-à-vis the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary The member States of the United Nations are preparing to adopt in Marrakech the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which has received broad support from the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. This instrument arises as the international community’s response to the challenges and opportunities that migration poses on a global agenda. It is a historic instrument that constitutes an example of renewed multilateral interest. To…

The Escazú Agreement: An Environmental Milestone for Latin America and the Caribbean

26 September 2018

Our societies increasingly demand more and better access to adequate and reliable information, along with more and better opportunities to participate in a meaningful way in the decisions that affect them. To support this shift to more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development, Latin America and the Caribbean today has an unprecedented multilateral instrument: the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the “Escazú Agreement.” Adopted in March of this year in Escazú, Costa Rica, this agreement offers our State…

Farewell to an exceptional man

21 September 2018

Just a few weeks ago, the calm, clear and assertive voice of an exceptional man faded out. Kofi Annan has departed, sooner than expected, for the just territory of legends. For those of us who were his colleagues, collaborators and friends, these are days of sadness and pride. Without grandiloquence, with an authentic sobriety and sharp intelligence, Kofi personified the best of the spirit of an organization that served as his home from the age of 24, when as a young Ghanaian man who had recently finished his solid academic training he entered the budget department of the World Health Organiza…

Upgrading International Development Cooperation

14 August 2018

In an era when the benefits of multilateralism are being questioned, income inequality is growing, and innovation and technology are transforming how people learn and work, the world needs a more equitable approach to globalization. Can Latin America and the Caribbean offer a way forward? PARIS (Project Syndicate) – These are hard times for international cooperation. With rising protectionism, burgeoning trade disputes, and a troubling lack of concern for shared interests like climate change, the world seems to be turning its back on multilateralism. And yet cooperation remains one of o…

Bolstering the Resilience of Latin American and Caribbean Societies, Key to Implementing the 2030 Agenda

13 July 2018

The High-level Political Forum being held at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York, from July 9 to 18, encourages member countries to present their progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015, and to exchange experiences on building more resilient societies. With this aim, the Forum this year is focused mainly on five of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the implementation of which contributes to strengthening economic, social and environmental resilience. Moving toward more resilient societies is an even greater challenge fo…

The Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development: A Regional Contribution to a Global Challenge

10 April 2018

The Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which will meet for the second time on April 18-20 in Santiago, Chile, is the product of the leadership and political commitment of the region’s countries to the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This multi-actor platform – the first session of which, held in 2017 in Mexico City, brought together around 800 Latin American and Caribbean representatives of government, civil society and the private sector – is the regional mechanism for follow-up and implementation of the 2030 Agen…

International Women’s Day

8 March 2018

We are at a pivotal moment for women’s rights. The historical and structural inequalities that have allowed oppression and discrimination to flourish are being exposed like never before. From Latin America to Europe to Asia, on social media, on film sets, on the factory floor and in the streets, women are calling for lasting change and zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination of all kinds. Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world. The activism and advocacy of g…

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

4 December 2017

“Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all” Resilience is central to achieving sustainable development. In its pledge to leave no one behind, the 2030 Agenda embodies a commitment to building the capacities of those who face marginalization and exclusion, in order to reduce their vulnerability to economic, social and environmental shocks. In recent years, the international community has achieved notable progress in advancing the rights of the world’s one billion persons with disabilities. Disability is recognized as a cross-cutting issue in the 2030 Agenda, the New Urban…

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a different strategy for a different time

19 July 2017

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted two years ago by the 193 Members States of the United Nations as a collective and transformative call for action to shift the course of our shared destiny towards a more equal and sustainable development pattern. Since then, countries have taken significant steps to engage in this new path, as they are fully aware that the agenda calls for a paradigm shift. In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, at least 16 countries have enhanced their institutional frameworks (Argentina, Jamaica and Ve…

Nelson Mandela International Day

18 July 2017

Nelson Mandela continues to inspire the world through his example of courage and compassion, and his commitment to social justice and a culture of freedom and peace. I had the honour of meeting Nelson Mandela several times, including during South Africa’s transition. Each time, I was struck by his wisdom, his compassion, and above all, his humility. One of the most important lessons we can learn from Nelson Mandela is that to make progress, we must look forward, however difficult that may be. Nelson Mandela was known as prisoner 46664 for 18 years. But he never became a prisoner of his past. S…

Multilateralism is a Key Element in Promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

27 April 2017

The end of last year and the start of the current one were marked by major changes and enormous uncertainties, although there were also some notable advances and great opportunities, both at the global level and for Latin America and the Caribbean. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, offer an important road map for the construction of a new and ambitious international consensus regarding the need for greater cooperation to correct asymmetries and set the foundations for an…

The Labour Market Is the Key to Equality for Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

7 March 2017

Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where, for the past four decades, states have continuously met to discuss and commit themselves politically to eradicating discrimination and gender inequality and moving towards guaranteeing women the full exercise of their autonomy and human rights. Since the first Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Havana in 1977, the region has been through years of political, economic, social and cultural changes, which have meant progress for women in the region but which also have shown the persistence …

256 search results. Displaying 20 per page.