ECLAC Will Analyze Social Institutionality for Universal Protection, Response to Situations of Emergency and Measurement of Spending in Three Events

Three international seminars that will address diverse subjects related to Latin American and the Caribbean social development will take place during June and July 2016 in Santiago, Chile and in Quito, Ecuador, with the participation of senior government representatives, international officials and specialists from the region.

The first event entitled Progress and Challenges of Social Institutionality in Latin America and the Caribbean: Pathways Towards Universal Social Protection From the Perspective of Rights will be held on June 20-21 at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

This technical seminar, organized with the support of the German cooperation (BMZ-GIZ), will analyze, from various perspectives, the current situation and the level of consolidation of social institutionality in Latin American and Caribbean countries. The main focus will be the construction of universal social protection systems that point to the effective compliance of economic, social and cultural rights in the region.

On June 22, also in Santiago, the seminar Optimizing the Response in Emergencies from the Social Perspective, organized by ECLAC and Chile’s Ministry of Social Development, will examine response mechanisms of Social Development ministries and related agencies in the face of situations of emergency, disasters and catastrophes.

During the meeting, the importance of tools for collecting data on people, families and communities for the reduction of risks and for the management of emergencies will be discussed, as well as its relevance for defining the support and accompaniment to be provided to the affected population with the aim of increasing their resilience.

Finally, on July 5-6 the international seminar-workshop Progress and Challenges in Measuring Social Spending in Latin America will take place in Quito. The event is organized by ECLAC and the Ministry Coordinator of Social Development of Ecuador, also with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Coordination and Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

High-level officials in charge of social investment estimates and specialists in the area are expected to exchange experiences centered on the definition, measurement and analysis of social spending and in methodology alternatives to improve its quality and utility in decision-making of social policy in general, and of social protection in particular.