UN official inaugurates meeting of C’bean countries on sustainable development

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed participated in the opening session of the third meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

ECLAC said more than 1,000 delegates – including representatives of government, international institutions, the private sector, academia and civil society – are attending the April 22-26 gathering, which features more than 50 side events.

Participants are meeting to review the progress and challenges regarding implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region.

At the official opening ceremony, ECLAC said Mohammed was joined by Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s executive secretary, and Inga Rhonda King, the president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Permanent Representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN.

María Fernanda Espinosa, president of the global organization’s General Assembly, will also participate in the Forum’s activities.

The forum is convened annually by the member State that holds the presidency of ECLAC’s Committee of the Whole, and will be carried out under ECLAC’s auspices.

On this occasion, ECLAC said Cuba will preside over the third meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, since that country has held the organisation’s presidency since 2018.