Old and emerging challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean: a glance from ECLAC’s 2022 Social Panorama

Monday 6 March, 12:30pm
Latin American Centre, 1 Church Walk

 

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Carlos Maldonado Valera is currently a visiting scholar at Sciences Po’s International Center of International Studies and its Political Observatory of Latin America. He’s also Social Affairs Officer at the Social Development Division of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) where he develops topics related to social cohesion, social protection systems, social policy and the institutional framework of public policies in the region. He has participated in several publications and reports specially the yearly Social Panorama of Latin America. Also, he’s focal point for the follow-up of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the region and, in 2019-2022, coordinated the ECLAC-AECID research project "Analysis of social inclusion and cohesion in Latin America and the Caribbean in light of the extended social pillar of the Agenda 2030”.

In 2007-2009, he worked as Associate Social Affairs Officer at ECLAC's Gender Affairs Division. Before joining the United Nations, in 2002-2005, he served as Director of Institutional Development and Deputy Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Social Development of the federal government of Mexico (SEDESOL).

Carlos Maldonado Valera holds a PhD in Political Science from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po)[1], a master’s degree in Political Sociology and Public Policy from the same institution and graduated in International Relations at El Colegio de México.

 

Abstract: As the extreme poverty and unemployment levels projected for 2022 represent respectively a 25 and 22-year setback for the region, Latin America and the Caribbean has been dealing in the past years with a cascade of crises that has exacerbated prior inequalities and shortfalls. By analyzing a number of economic and social indicators, this presentation will try to address old and new challenges for social development with an accent on education and social protection two key drivers of future sustainable development and social cohesion. A number of policy orientations will also be discussed from the standpoint of key long-term, structural challenges of the region.

 

Key/useful references:

ECLAC (2022a), Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2022: Transforming education as a basis for sustainable development, United Nations, Santiago, Chile.

ECLAC (2022b), Social Panorama of Latin America 2021, United Nations, Santiago, Chile.

ECLAC (2021), Social Panorama of Latin America 2020, United Nations, Santiago, Chile.

Maldonado, Tromben, Cea and Suárez (2022), Panorama de la cohesión social en América Latina y el Caribe, ECLAC-AECID, Santiago, Chile.

Maldonado, Marinho, Robles and Tromben (2021), Social cohesion and inclusive social development in Latin America. A proposal for an era of uncertainties, ECLAC-AECID, Santiago, Chile.