Countries Approve Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean in Brasilia

The countries participating in the Twentieth Meeting 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) approved the Regional Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean today in Brasilia. The Agenda includes 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 meeting, held on October 2-3 and organized by ECLAC and the Government of Brazil through the National Secretariat for Planning of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, brought together-in person and virtually-ministers, deputy ministers and senior authorities from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam and Uruguay, along with representatives from international organizations, academia and civil society.

The follow-up and governance mechanism of the Regional Agenda-which includes a series of strategic objectives and lines of action-will be organized through the Regional Council for Planning (RCP), its Presiding Officers, ad hoc working groups to be established, and an inter-institutional support group.

ECLAC, through ILPES, serves as the Technical Secretariat of the RCP and will also do so for the Agenda, providing support through applied research, technical assistance and training activities. ILPES will also support the Agenda's implementation through the Regional Observatory on Planning for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Planning Network for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

At the meeting's closing session, Virgínia de Ângelis Oliveira de Paula, National Secretary for Planning of Brazil's Ministry of Planning and Budget, welcomed the approval of the Agenda and reaffirmed Brazil's commitment to promote it. She highlighted the participatory way in which it was built and underscored its critical role in enabling countries to achieve "public policies that are stronger, sustainable over time and adaptable to changing scenarios, mapping risks and anticipating opportunities."

"For the consolidation of the Regional Council for Planning's Agenda over the next two years, we propose three fundamental pillars: future, collaboration and integration, which synthesize Brazil's vision of how to transform planning into an instrument for sustainable, inclusive, just and resilient development in Latin America and the Caribbean," she summarized. She also emphasized the new approach proposed by ECLAC, which invites countries to strengthen their technical, operational, political and prospective institutional capacities (TOPP capacities) in order to be, she said, "more effective, efficient, innovative and transformative."

Javier Medina Vásquez, ECLAC's Deputy Executive Secretary a.i., speaking on behalf of Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, thanked the Government of Brazil for hosting the meeting and welcomed the priorities that will guide the country's leadership during its Chairmanship of the RCP.

Along with recognizing the approval of the Agenda, Javier Medina Vásquez pointed to some of the key issues that should guide the creation of working groups for its implementation, including public innovation, open government, governance and participation; cooperation with the Caribbean; foresight and territorial development; and regional integration, among others.

Broad recognition and support for the Agenda was evident in panel 3 of the meeting, entitled Cooperation for the implementation of the Agenda on Governance of Planning and Public Management for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Transforming the Future of Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants included representatives from Brazil's Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA); the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) of Brazil; the Open Government Partnership (OGP); Chile's Government Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance; UN-Habitat; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI); the Banco do Nordeste do Brasil; the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB); the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID); the Latin American Center for Development Administration (CLAD); the World Bank; and Coursera.

During the meeting's opening session in Brasilia, ECLAC's Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs presented virtually the publication Institutional Technical, Operational, Political and Prospective (TOPP) Capabilities for Transformation Management: Underpinnings of a New Paradigm. The document proposes a new paradigm-both analytical and operational-based on TOPP capabilities, as an indispensable framework for managing the transformations needed for the region to move towards more productive, inclusive and sustainable development.

The publication sets forth a roadmap and associated instruments to help institutions strengthen their capacities to design, implement, sustain over time, and adapt public policies with flexibility in changing environments.

The Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning were elected as follows: Brazil as Chair, and Chile, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Uruguay as Vice Chairs.