• Capacity-building course in development will be delivered this year, with in-person sessions in Brazil and Chile, as well as online classes
• Program targets current or former employees of Latin American public institutions involved in development financing

As a result of technical cooperation between the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Maria da Conceição Tavares School of Government and Development published, on March 31, a call for applications for 60 candidates to join its first edition. The School is dedicated to training in economic, social, and environmental development in Brazil and other Latin American countries. 

"Latin America and the Caribbean face urgent challenges that require not only answers about what to do, but above all, how to do it: how to improve governance, strengthen institutional capacities, and create spaces for social dialogue to manage transformation processes. The School was established in this spirit—as a rigorous and transformative training space for leaders committed to the future of our region," said ECLAC Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs.

The idea of honoring professor and economist Maria da Conceição Tavares, who passed away in April of last year, was proposed by BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante. “Conceição was one of the greatest economists not only in Brazil, but in the world. She rejected dogmas and insisted on thinking critically, always attentive to the needs and development of our region. Born in Portugal, she became a towering figure in Brazil—someone who dreamed of a fairer and more inclusive country and world”, he said.

The training program is designed to offer a curriculum tailored to the sociocultural and economic specificities of Latin American countries, support the implementation of public policies and sustainable financing strategies, and prepare leaders to engage with the key opportunities and challenges of economic, social, and environmental development in the region.

The School will unfold in three stages over the course of the year. The first stage, in June, consists of five days of in-person activities at BNDES headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second stage, delivered online, will run for 11 weeks—from June to August—with live sessions. The final stage will take place in September, with two days of in-person activities at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

There are no registration or participation fees. However, travel and accommodation expenses for in-person phases are the responsibility of the participants or their respective institutions. There will be 30 seats for participants from Brazil and 30 for those from other Latin American countries, ensuring diversity in terms of gender, race and ethnicity, and, in the case of non-Brazilian participants, country of origin.

Activities—including keynote lectures, conferences, online theoretical classes, and practical workshops—will be structured around four thematic pillars: growth in the new era of globalization and geopolitics – virtuous external integration, regional integration, and productive sophistication and diversification; productive transformation, employment, innovation capabilities, and sustainability; inequality, social mobility, decent work, and social justice; and democracy, institutional strengthening, governance, and social dialogue for managing transformations.

The training is targeted at current or former employees of public development banks or related public institutions (such as ministries, secretariats, regulatory agencies, and development agencies) in Latin America, preferably those engaged in development financing. A university degree in any field is required, along with fluency in Portuguese or Spanish. Intermediate reading and comprehension skills in English are recommended.

The call for applications and registration form will be available on the website of the Maria da Conceição Tavares School of Government and Development from 12:00 p.m. (Santiago time) on March 31, 2025, until 11:59 p.m. on April 25, 2025.

Cooperation – In November 2024, BNDES, ECLAC, and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) signed a technical cooperation agreement that includes the creation of the Maria da Conceição Tavares School of Government and Development as one of its objectives. The initiative revives the history of joint action and the shared recognition of the importance of strengthening state capacities for development, while also updating and modernizing their approaches to prepare public sector personnel in Brazil and Latin America for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.