The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) convened its ninth regional forum on sustainable development (RFSD) in preparation for the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July. Countries underscored the fundamental role of multilateral action, regional cooperation, and international partnerships in renewing the collective commitment to and accelerating progress towards the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
According to this year’s SDG progress report for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the region is on track to achieve only 19% of the SDG targets, progress on 42% is too slow, and progress on 39% has either stalled or regressed in comparison with 2015.
In his opening remarks, ECLAC Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs acknowledged the difficulty of accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the current geopolitical context. He identified cooperation and collaboration as “the biggest counterweight in a world marked increasingly by power and force.”
Addressing the Forum, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affair Li Junhua recognized the region for its leadership on social protection policies, climate resilience, and strategies for inclusive development. He emphasized ECLAC’s critical role in “supporting those efforts through regional cooperation and the promotion of evidence-based policies.”
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In a video message, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed encouraged the LAC countries to be ambitious and further the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
The Forum included a series of dialogues on regional action, where countries analyzed the implementation of five SDGs undergoing in-depth review by HLPF 2026 in July – SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals).
Dialogues on national action featured learning sessions on successful national experiences in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs and facilitated the sharing of good practices and challenges in the preparation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs).
The Forum approved a set of intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations, which recognize each country’s primary responsibility for its own sustainable development and for follow-up and review of the progress made. At the same time, the document emphasizes the need to strengthen cooperation among countries to facilitate progress towards the SDGs by fostering effective synergies, enabling the exchange of experiences and good practices, and promoting coordinated efforts.
One of five annual regional forums that feed into the HLPF’s July session, the 2026 Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development convened in Santiago, Chile, from 13-16 April. [ECLAC Press Release on Forum’s Opening] [ECLAC’s Press Release on Forum’s Closing]