(27 May 2008) The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will hold its Thirty-second session from June 9-13 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The session, which guides the work of this United Nations regional commission, gathers ECLAC's 44 member States and eight associate members every two years to discuss issues related to the economic, social and environmental development of the region, examine the activities carried out by ECLAC in the preceding biennium, and set the priorities of its work programme for the following two years.
Delegations from over 50 countries and special guests are expected to attend.
The work document ECLAC will submit for discussion at this year's meeting is Structural Change and Productivity Growth, 20 Years Later. Old problems, new opportunities. In it, ECLAC proposes a medium and long term strategy to strengthen development in Latin America and the Caribbean through productive diversification, innovation and public-private alliances.
The official inauguration of ECLAC's Thirty-second session will take place on Tuesday, June 10 at 9:00 a.m. at the Hotel Hilton Santo Domingo, and will count with the participation of the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández, and ECLAC Executive Secretary, José Luis Machinea.
On Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11, delegates will analyze the working document, and a High Level Seminar will take place with the participation of government officials from several member States, and experts and academics from international agencies and institutions.
The Regional Consultation Preparatory to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus will also be held in the context of ECLAC's Thirty-second session, from Wednesday, June 11 to Friday, June 13.
The ECLAC sessional Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development, a subsidiary body of the conference, will also be convened on Thursday, June 12.
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