Authorities Approve 2026–2027 Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development in Latin[...]

Planning authorities from Latin America and the Caribbean approved today the 2026-2027 Plan of Action for the implementation of the Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development, which is an operational road map that establishes priorities, activities and concrete work mechanisms with the aim of strengthening the region's collective capacity to transform strategic agreements into effective actions.

This approval took place during the Thirty-First Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), held on Monday, April 13 at the organization's main headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

The event was inaugurated by José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, and Carlos Mendoza Alvarado, Secretary for Planning and Programming of the Office of the President of Guatemala, in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Regional Council for Planning of ILPES. Also participating was Javier Medina Vásquez, ECLAC's acting Deputy Executive Secretary and Officer-in-Charge of ILPES.

The meeting, both in person and online, brought together ministers, deputy ministers and other senior authorities from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Uruguay, along with representatives of international and United Nations system organizations.

The Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean - approved at the XX Meeting of the Regional Council for Planning, held in Brasilia in October 2025 - establishes four main pillars: governance, institutional frameworks and social dialogue; foresight and anticipatory governance within the sustainable development paradigm; coordination for coherence and integration in public policies; and evaluation, public value, and the establishment of a culture of continuous learning.

The 2026-2027 Plan of Action contemplates, as a central aspect, the creation of three working groups, conceived of as spaces for collaboration between countries to make progress on the Regional Agenda's strategic pillars in a practical, progressive and shared way. These groups seek to articulate capacities, exchange experiences, generate applied learning and produce useful inputs for national and regional decision-making. They do not supplant national efforts, but rather enhance them through collective work and mutual learning.

"The Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management is geared towards tackling Latin America and the Caribbean's structural challenges with a long-term vision, cooperation and collective action," ECLAC's Executive Secretary underscored during the meeting's opening session.

He emphasized that the region is experiencing a context marked by great global uncertainty, ongoing fiscal restrictions, political fragmentation, social tensions and weakening trust in public institutions. "These challenges are not new, but they have intensified and pose a clear risk: of responding only to the current situation, losing the strategic end goal or fragmenting public action. In this scenario, planning, regional dialogue and spaces for governance acquire even greater relevance," he affirmed.

In his speech, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs contended that the Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning of ILPES constitutes "an opportunity to reaffirm commitments, acknowledge real difficulties, learn collectively and strengthen capacities. Staying the course in complex contexts requires planning, but also governance, dialogue and shared responsibility."

Finally, he emphasized that "planning is betting on the future, but governing is making that future possible," and he expressed the conviction that "with political leadership, regional cooperation and spaces like this one, we will be able to continue building solid agreements to move together towards more inclusive, sustainable and democratic development for Latin America and the Caribbean."

Meanwhile, Planning Secretary Carlos Mendoza Alvarado reaffirmed the relevance of planning as a strategic tool for development.

He stated that "the Regional Council for Planning is not just a formal entity, it is and should continue to be a space for collective technical and political leadership, a place where the region's countries can articulate visions, contrast experiences, forge agreements and bolster a common agenda around a shared conviction: that to plan better is also to govern better."

In the framework of the Thirty-First Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the RCP, a special session was held to present the document Endogenous Governance: Theory, Data and Tools for Escaping the Trap of Ineffective Governance in Latin America.

The document sends a key message: governance is not an external or subsequent element of public policies, but rather an essential part of their design and implementation. Public policies do not exist on their own; they include effective governance and can be sustained in contexts of fragmentation, political volatility and limited institutional capacities.

Towards the end of the meeting, the participating authorities approved agreements that, among other points, highlight the progress of the Regional Observatory on Planning for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. This platform is conceived of as a dynamic space for analysis, information and collective knowledge-building on planning for development in the region.

On this occasion, a revamped version of the platform was presented, which incorporates an interactive geoportal for visualizing the state of planning in Latin American and Caribbean countries. The tool is also connected to CEPALSTAT, the data portal that compiles and disseminates updated statistics from the region, thereby enriching available information and strengthening comparative analysis.

The Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning is made up of Brazil as Chair and Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Uruguay as Vice-Chairs.