Cuban Ambassador to Ecuador Basilio Gutiérrez

Quito, Sep 29 (RHC) Cuban Ambassador to Ecuador Basilio Gutiérrez is participating in the XIV Ministerial Forum for the Development of Latin America and the Caribbean, which began Thursday in the city of Cuenca, in southern Ecuador.

Delegations from the 33 countries in the area are participating in the meeting, which addresses priority issues for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda.

At the inauguration of the meeting, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, highlighted the importance of this type of space for exchanging experiences, especially after the Covid 19  pandemic that affected social development.

The president explained that although his country ratified the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN, it was necessary to reorient the priorities in the national plan of opportunities 2021-2025.

Among the topics to be discussed at the working tables of the event are social protection in times of uncertainty, new challenges for institutions and regional cooperation, effective governance, and financing for development.

The event, which will last until tomorrow, is sponsored by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the government of Ecuador.

After the two days of debates, participants will issue the Cuenca Declaration, a document that will gather the conclusions of the meeting with the commitments and intentions to advance the 2030 Agenda.

This is the first time that Ecuador hosts this Forum, which has been held since 2007 to offer ministers and decision-makers the opportunity to discuss public policies in the field of human and social development, and to envision responses to new challenges. (Source: Prensa Latina).