SANTIAGO, Chile, CMC – The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday made a historic visit to its central headquarters in Chile for the first time, meeting with the entire staff of the regional organisation and of the UN agencies, funds and programs that work in the country.

ECLAC said Guterres was received by ECLAC’s Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, and by the Resident Coordinator of the UN System in Chile, María José Torres Macho, who welcomed him on behalf of all staff members.

Other participants in the meeting included Pamela Villalobos, president of ECLAC’s Staff Council; Loreto Flores, president of the Staff Council of the International Labor Organization (ILO); and Teresa Muro, president of the Staff Council of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

ECLAC said Guterres’ visit coincides with its 75th anniversary, created on February 25, 1948 “by virtue of resolution 106 of the Economic and Social Council, which gives it a special, joyful meaning for the institution.”

“During his time at ECLAC, António Guterres urged the 19 United Nations agencies, funds and programs in Chile to work together more to help the country define a successful strategy for development and prosperity, combating the inequalities that persist, in the framework of respect for human rights, and for solving all the structural obstacles in society and the economy,” the statement said.

ECLAC said Salazar-Xirinachs pointed to “two major mandates that the UN Secretary-General entrusted to him in this post: to uphold and strengthen this history of contributions and intellectual leadership, and to work closely with all the United Nations organisations and entities to support all the region’s countries, guided by their vision as expressed in ‘Our Common Agenda’ and aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

In this regard, ECLAC said it has “prioritised 11 large transformations in development models in the region that include the means of implementation in terms of institutions, financing and social dialogue in order to achieve more productive, inclusive and sustainable development.”

ECLAC said the Secretary-General also participated in one of the commemoration and awareness-raising activities that ECLAC and the UN System in Chile carry out each year in the framework of the UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign.

Launched in 2008, ECLAC said this initiative calls on governments, civil society, women’s organisations, young people, the private sector, media and the entire UN system “to join forces to prevent and eliminate this true global pandemic.”

The theme this year is “Unite! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls,” ECLAC said.

It said the gathering with the Secretary-General was part of his official visit to Chilean territory, “which will also take him to the Antarctic continent to verify the impacts of climate change.”

He will be accompanied on that trip by Chilean President Gabriel Boric.