At a press conference next Wednesday, November 26, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, the United Nations regional organization’s Executive Secretary, will present updated figures on poverty, inequality and social spending in the region.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will present next Wednesday, November 26 its flagship annual report Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025. How to escape the trap of high inequality, low social mobility and weak social cohesion, which includes the latest data available on poverty, income inequality and social spending in the region, among other indicators. 

The main conclusions of the document consisting of four chapters will be unveiled by José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, at a hybrid (in-person and virtual) press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. local time (UTC/GMT-3) in Santiago, Chile.

As always, the report will offer a thorough overview of the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean with regard to poverty and income inequality, and examine the evolution of the institutional framework and social spending in the region.

In this edition, it will also analyze the trap of high inequality, low social mobility and weak social cohesion, focusing on some of its many dimensions, including income distribution, educational inequality, labor market gaps, gender inequality, and discrimination and human rights violations as a cross-cutting factor that affects certain population groups. 

In addition, the report will detail the work that ECLAC has been conducting to address this trap in which Latin America and the Caribbean is mired, along with the Commission’s contributions to the debates at the recent Second World Summit for Social Development (Qatar, November 4-6).

Members of the media are invited to attend the press conference in person. 

Journalists interested in attending online must register ahead of time (https://eclac.webex.com/weblink/register/r63fdb333e4527c2d930edb267d06c95f). They will receive an automated email with instructions for joining.

Questions can be sent in advance by email to conferenciaprensa@cepal.org, and ECLAC’s Executive Secretary will answer them once the presentation of the document has concluded. Questions will only be taken until 11:30 a.m. local time in Chile.

WHAT: Launch of ECLAC’s flagship annual report: Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025.

WHO: José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 11 a.m. local time in Chile (GMT-3).

WHERE: ECLAC’s headquarters (Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile, Celso Furtado conference room).

Journalists must have their media credentials or IDs with them to gain access to the building and must get accredited in advance by emailing prensa@cepal.org. 

Virtual connection via various platforms:

• Webex: https://eclac.webex.com/weblink/register/r63fdb333e4527c2d930edb267d06c95f
• ECLAC’s website: www.cepal.org
• Website: https://live.cepal.org
• Official account on X: https://x.com/cepal_onu
• Official account on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu