Latin America and the Caribbean Require Governance with a Comprehensive Focus and Intergenerational Solidarity to Face the Challenges of Demographic Change

In a new geoeconomic and geopolitical context, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are facing unprecedented demographic change that gives rise to multiple challenges for public policy and development in the region. This reality requires leaving behind fragmented responses to move toward state policies that are sustainable in time, experts agreed today during the inauguration of the Sixth session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development, which will continue through Thursday, August 20 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

In the opening session of this meeting, which brings together nearly 600 people, participants reaffirmed that the Montevideo Consensus is the regional roadmap regarding population and development, as well as being an essential framework to place human rights at the center of public policy.

The Conference was inaugurated by José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); Diene Keita, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and María Cristina Lustemberg Haro, Minister of Public Health of Uruguay.

Also present at the opening session were Mario Lubetkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay; Tamara Paseyro, Minister of Housing and Land Development of Uruguay; Paula Narváez, UNFPA Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean; Rodrigo Arim, Director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) of Uruguay; Francisco José Coy, Colombian Ambassador to Uruguay; and Luis Fidel Yáñez, Secretary of the ECLAC Commission.

"In 2013, this beautiful city of Montevideo hosted the First Meeting of our Regional Conference, in which the countries adopted the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development. The world has changed a great deal since then, due not only to technological, environmental, and political trends, but also to real disruptions that have transformed geopolitics, globalization, and the world order," stated José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs in his inaugural speech.

He added that the demographic change the region is experiencing is characterized by a series of trends, including a decrease in the fertility rate and adolescent fertility rate, increased life expectancy, marked population ageing, a reduction of household size and restructuring of family types, increased international migration flow, and advancing urbanization.

"These demographic trends create clear and multiple challenges for public and development policy. Countries must therefore have a prospective analysis and response capability for anticipated scenarios," he said.

The Executive Secretary of ECLAC emphasized that the consequences of demographic trends do not only apply to specific areas, such as health, education, pensions, and care. These are structural transformations that reconfigure the nature of social pacts and create challenges for governance capacity.

"Longevity means that in our societies, at least six generations will increasingly be living together: boys and girls in early childhood, school-age children, youth, adults, elderly people, and people over 80. Never before have so many generations lived together for so long, and each has somewhat different demands and expectations," he stated.

"Our region's true wealth lies in our ability to inhabit and empower a shared plurality," emphasized José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs.

Executive Director of the UNFPA, Diene Keita, stated that although demographic change is inevitable, it is not grounds for pessimism. "It is a call to lead differently, to plan with greater anticipation and to invest more intelligently in people to guarantee the prosperity of future generations," she said.

"Latin America and the Caribbean have long shown that demographic change can be taken on without fear, with solidarity, based on information, and with an unshakeable commitment to human rights. The world has a lot to learn from this region," she added.

For her part, Minister María Cristina Lustemberg noted the persistence of deep inequalities, new forms of exclusion, and emerging challenges that require innovative and sustained responses. "Demographic transformations, climate change, migration, territorial gaps, gender inequalities, and the impacts of economic and health crises call on us to renew our commitments," she stated.

In this context, she emphasized that the Sixth Regional Conference on Population and Development "is a privileged space to exchange experiences, evaluate achievements, recognize remaining challenges, and strengthen a common agenda based on cooperation, evidence, and respect for the diversity of our national realities and the regional reality."

During the intergovernmental meeting, participants will discuss the effects of demographic change in Latin America and the Caribbean and analyze the progress, challenges, good practices, and current priorities for implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development.

On Wednesday, August 19 at 7:00PM Montevideo time, the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, along with Simone Cecchini, Chief of the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division of the Regional Commission of the United Nations, will present the document titled Impacts of Demographic Change in Latin America and the Caribbean: Public Policy Challenges and Options. The report analyzes the social and economic repercussions of demographic transformation in the region in order to provide contributions that strengthen public policy in the region's countries, in line with the Montevideo Consensus, and move toward full integration of the population and its dynamics in sustainable development, with equity and respect for human rights.