Special Envoy Mr E. Benito Wheatley, right, and Executive Secretary H.E. Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, left, the Head of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), recently held a high-level bilateral meeting on sustainable development. Photo: Office of the Premier

ECLAC, which is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded with the purpose of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic ties among countries and with other nations of the world. Photo: cepal.org

The meeting focused on productive development policy in the Americas, regional efforts to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ECLAC engagement with the Associate Members of the regional commission, and bilateral engagement between the VI and UN ECLAC.

In particular, the pair discussed the importance of productive development polices to boosting the productivity of Latin America and the Caribbean and acceleration of the region’s economic transformation.

According to a press release from the Office of the Premier, the importance of continuing to engage Caribbean countries and territories on how productive development policies can be best applied in their specific context as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) whose size, climate vulnerability, and small open economies present challenges to sustained economic growth and development was highlighted at the meeting.

'Special case' of Associate Members of ECLAC

The special case of the Associate Members of ECLAC was also highlighted.

It was noted that, among other things, the Associate Members were not included in the internationally agreed Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) despite their high vulnerability as SIDS. They also noted that Associate Members cannot participate in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development and remained locked out of development finance and climate finance, despite significant gaps in financing for development and climate finance.

According to the press release on February 20, 2025, Mr Xirinachs affirmed the commitment of UN ECLAC to the Associate Members to which development assistance is being provided in the form of technical assistance to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also reaffirmed that the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development will remain a platform in which Associate Members can engage on their sustainable development.

Mr Wheatley thanked the Executive Secretary for UN ECLAC’s technical assistance to the Virgin Islands and restated his commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean in his capacity as Vice Chair of UN ECLAC and Vice Chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC).