The regional dimension acquires ever greater relevance in the face of the current global paradigm changes and is essential for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Regional Commissions have been identified as an important platform to advance the discussions at the regional level for the implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. In this context, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, through Resolution 700 (XXXVI) approved in May 2016 within the framework of the Thirty-sixth Session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) , created the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development as a regional mechanism for the implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs, their targets and means of implementation, as well as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) subsequently supported the establishment of the Forum in its resolutionE/RES/2016/12 in August 2016.
Since 2017, the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development is convened annually under the auspices of ECLAC. This Forum is led by the States of Latin America and the Caribbean and open to representatives of the associate members of ECLAC, civil society, academia and the private sector. It also involves the subsidiary bodies of ECLAC, development banks, regional and subregional organizations, other United Nations entities, United Nations Regional Coordinators, and other regional actors. The Forum provides peer learning opportunities, the exchange of good practices, and the discussion of common goals and seeks to encourage cooperation with regional and subregional organizations to guide an inclusive regional process towards sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For each annual meeting of the Forum, the ECLAC Secretariat issues a report on regional progress and challenges in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that constitutes a regional contribution to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development o under the auspices of ECOSOC, and a four-year progress report for the years the HLPF also takes place under the auspices of the General Assembly.
Timeline of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting | Preparatory meetings | ECLAC’s thirty-sixth session | First meeting of the Forum | Second meeting of the Forum | Third meeting of the Forum | Fourth Meeting of the Forum | Fifthh Meeting of the Forum | Sixth Meeting of the Forum | Seventh Meeting of the Forum | Eighth Meeting of the Forum |
| Location | New York Santiago de Chile | México City | México City | Santiago de Chile | Santiago de Chile | On-line Meeting | San José, Costa Rica | Santiago, Chile | Santiago, Chile | Santiago de Chile |
| Date | 19-20 March 16 April | 23-27 May | 26 – 28 April | 18 - 20 April | 24 - 26 April | 15-18 March | 7 - 9 de March | 25 - 28 de April | 15 - 18 April | 31 March – 4 April |
| Documents | Report of the Thirtieth session of the Committee of the Whole Report of the Sixteenth extraordinary session of the Committee of the Whole | Halfway to 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and recommendations for acceleration | ||||||||
| President | Peru | Peru | Mexico | Mexico | Cuba | Costa Rica | Costa Rica | Argentina | Costa Rica | Peru |