In May 2014, at the thirty-fifth session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)  the member States decided  by virtue of resolution 682 (XXXV) to establish the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean as a  subsidiary body of the Commission. The decision was made given the Commission’s  consistent collaboration to assist  inter-institutional coordination among  countries of the region, international organizations and national organisms that promote social development and that carry out projects in that realm. The first meeting of the Conference convened by ECLAC, the Peruvian Ministry of Social Development and Inclusion (MIDIS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) took place in Lima, Peru from 2 - 4 November 2015.  The meeting was attended by 23 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and 73 social development authorities (9 Ministers, 7 Vice-ministers and/or Sub-secretaries, 19 Directors and 1 Vice-minister) as well as  Representatives of  several diplomatic missions in Peru, NGOs, research centers, United Nations Agencies, specialized organisms and inter-governmental organisms.

The Conference's objectives include promoting the development of national policies on social development; exchanging experiences in relation to social matters; providing technical inputs for other regional forums and contributing- from the perspective of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean- to the discussions and proposals considered by the United Nations Commission on Social Development.

The Conference resolution 1 (l) establishes the meeting of the Presiding Officers within the framework of the  VIII Ministerial Forum for Development to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 30 October to 1 November 2016. The Presiding Officers of the Conference will be composed of Peru (Chair) and Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama and Paraguay (Vice-Chairs).

The resolution lists several requests. Among others, there are requests for the Commission to organize, maintain and systematically update the databases on social investment, non-contributory social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean and on youth and social inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Moreover, ECLAC is requested, in collaboration with the UNDP, to provide technical assistance to promote  experience-sharing, strengthen evaluation systems and social institutions, enhance synergies and pool efforts among the various stakeholders in sustainable  development, with a view to working towards the regional implementation of the 2030 Agenda with a focus on the social dimension and fostering South-South cooperation;

Lastly, the secretariat is urged to deepen the analysis of the multiple dimensions of social inequality, poverty and vulnerability  identified in the document “Inclusive social development: the next generation of policies for overcoming poverty and reducing inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean”, and report in this regard at the next meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Conference, to be held in the Dominican Republic in the third quarter of 2016. Regarding this last point, the document “The social inequality matrix in Latin America” prepared by the Social Development Division will be presented at that meeting.

Resolution 1(I): Progress made