SANTIAGO, Chile (CMC) — The ninth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development is taking place in Chile amid concerns that a new era of uncertainty and geopolitical fragmentation poses major difficulties for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is hosting the meeting, which ends on Thursday, to forge agreements and share experiences that would bolster the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda.

Delegates have been told that it is fundamental to strengthen multilateral action, regional cooperation and international partnerships in order to renew the collective commitment and accelerate progress towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda.

Four years ahead of the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, warned that the trend reflected in the SDG indicators is not positive in Latin America and the Caribbean, which entails redoubling efforts and bolstering regional and international cooperation to reverse the lags and accelerate progress towards fulfilling this global agenda.

According to a report prepared by ECLAC, at the current rate of progress, in Latin America and the Caribbean, just 19 per cent of the targets are on track to be met by 2030, which is below the 23 per cent estimated last year.

Meanwhile, 42 per cent of the targets are moving in the right direction, but at too slow of a pace, and 39 per cent are either stalled or moving backwards in comparison with 2015.

ECLAC explained that these more adverse estimates are due to both external factors and domestic dynamics, which include the deterioration of institutional capacities, the lack of prioritisation of some goals and targets, limited financing and fiscal space, the debt burden and most especially, the low level of growth in various countries of the region.

The meeting brings together senior government authorities from Latin America, the Caribbean and other regions of the world, along with officials and experts from the United Nations system, international and regional organisations, the private sector, academia and civil society, who will participate in a series of dialogues on global, regional and national action.

“We are not just witnesses of this new era. We have agency, assets and tools. We have active platforms, like this forum, and the will, such as the one that brought us here,” said Salazar-Xirinachs.

“We are backed by the power of civil society, the commitment of the private sector, academia, youth, social collectives, religious and secular movements. We have the will of national and also subnational governments. And we have the United Nations system, which was built on the ashes of the worst of wars and is more necessary today than ever, despite the challenges it faces.”

He urged delegates to “undertake these sessions with conviction and a sense of possibility”, adding that “does not mean naivety or denial of reality, but rather the will to advance, even as the winds blow in dangerous directions”.

“To move towards development, hope is not enough, but it is a necessary precondition,” Salazar-Xirinachs said, noting that accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda is difficult in the current geopolitical context, but he stressed that it is precisely that context that makes this essential.

He said that cooperation and collaboration is the biggest counterweight in a world marked increasingly by power and force.

“At ECLAC, we see proof of this every day: there are many more actors that want to move forward on collectively building an inclusive and sustainable world.

“That is why we must coordinate more and better. Making progress on what is possible, forging pragmatic partnerships and helping others understand that the 2030 Agenda is, in the end, an agenda for transforming societies in order to achieve shared human aspirations: to live better, live in peace, live in a healthy environment, live free of injustice and excessive inequalities.”

“This is not the time to throw in the towel, but rather to roll up our sleeves and keep working,” he added.

The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations (UNDESA), Li Junhua, said that Latin America and the Caribbean faces ongoing structural restrictions, marked by high levels of inequality and growing exposure to climate shocks.

However, he noted that the region has shown leadership on social protection policies, climate resilience and strategies for inclusive development, adding: “ECLAC has played a critical role along this path, supporting those efforts through regional cooperation and the promotion of evidence-based policies.”