Background

Alongside high inequality and low social mobility, social cohesion lies at the heart of the development traps of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, 2024a). It is therefore a key line of research for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and its strategic partners, particularly the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) of Brazil and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). This work is linked to broader efforts to strengthen public policies on inclusion and social cohesion in the region. For ECLAC, this work is carried out within the framework of the ECLAC–AECID project “Social cohesion policies for inclusive social development in Latin America”, which defines social cohesion as the capacity of a society and its democratic institutions to foster social relations and social inclusion, and on that basis generate a sense of belonging and orientation toward the common good in a way that is perceived as legitimate by its members. For IPEA, social cohesion is a recently incorporated line of research connected to issues of institutional frameworks and democratic governance. It addresses questions such as trust in institutions and perceptions of dignity and fairness in accessing public services, the impacts of economic and social transformations on policy demands, and the phenomenon of disinformation and its effects on the social legitimacy of the State and public policies.

IPEA and ECLAC share a longstanding and foundational relationship. Created with the common purpose of formulating, planning, analyzing, and evaluating public policies for development in Brazil, in the case of IPEA, and for Latin America and the Caribbean, in the case of ECLAC, both institutions also share an applied-academic character, seeking to achieve their objectives through excellence in research and studies. In 1971, the first formal cooperation agreement between IPEA and ECLAC was signed. Since then, the two institutions have developed a broad portfolio of research, studies, events, and training on diverse issues related to Brazilian and regional development. In 2024, a new ECLAC–IPEA Executive Cooperation Programme was signed, aiming to implement cooperation activities focused on public policies for socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable development in Brazil and Latin America. This includes the thematic area of “Defending democracy and rebuilding the State and sovereignty.” Within this framework, research is being conducted on social cohesion and democracy.

Inclusive social development is an expression of the social dimension of sustainable development. It focuses on ensuring that all people can lead lives free of poverty and attain a level of well-being based on high, sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth that enables them to develop their capabilities in a framework of freedom and dignity, with the guarantee of full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, and with spaces for recognition and participation that address gaps and social inequalities (ECLAC, 2024b, 2024c, and 2025). Progress in the social dimension of sustainable development also requires that public policies take into account the dynamics associated with the social inequality matrix, in which factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, race, ethnicity, age, migration status, or disability interact to generate gaps in well-being and in the enjoyment of rights (ECLAC, 2016 and 2020).

Social cohesion—that invisible cement that holds societies together, connected to a sense of belonging and to the trust necessary for democratic coexistence in contexts of plurality and accelerated transformation—can be understood in its objective dimension, linked to effective access to well-being and the enjoyment of rights, and in its subjective dimension, related to the sense of belonging, personal and institutional trust, and the perception of recognition, justice, participation, and inclusion (Maldonado et al., 2021; ECLAC, 2007; Hopenhayn, 2011). For this reason, it is crucial that inclusive social development policies not only guarantee higher levels of well-being through access to diverse services and benefits for individuals and their families, but also contribute positively to a sense of belonging fostered by dignified treatment.

Beyond social development policies, social cohesion also calls into question institutional frameworks and democratic life, since conflict, diversity, and social change are constitutive dimensions of plural societies and represent the inherent limits of all social objectivity. In this context, cohesion is expressed in the ability to sustain social and institutional ties even in scenarios of dissent and polarization (Mouffe, 2000; Laclau and Mouffe, 2015). Cohesive societies are those that succeed in institutionalizing conflict, ensuring inclusion, effective participation, and trust in collective deliberation, which includes equitable access to quality public information—a fundamental condition for building the basic consensus needed to recognize public problems. From this perspective, cohesion implies the democratic channeling of social tensions and conflicts through legitimate, open, and inclusive institutions capable of accommodating the voices and demands that coexist (and compete) in a plural social space.

Objective

Building on this background, and within the framework of the Sixth Meeting of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is proposed to open a space for reflection and dialogue between high-level social development authorities and experts on the contributions and challenges of social cohesion in its connection with inclusive social development policies and democracy. This proposed discussion space will allow ministers of social development from the region to share experiences and reflect on how social policies—particularly those related to non-contributory social protection and inclusion—contribute to strengthening social cohesion in key dimensions such as trust, coexistence, and sense of belonging.
In addition, participants are invited to examine how low social cohesion can affect the implementation of these policies, as well as the legitimacy of the State and democratic institutions. This two-way approach will be debated in this side event, along with the Regional Agenda for Inclusive Social Development (ECLAC, 2020), the monitoring of which constitutes a central task of this Regional Conference and of the Ministries of Social Development in the region.

Practical information

Date and time; September 1st, 2025 14:30 hrs. (GMT-3)

Place: Institute of Artistic and Cultural Heritage (IPHAN)
Heloísa Alberto Torres Auditorium

Preliminary Agenda

Moderator:Camila Gramkow, Acting Director of the ECLAC Office in Brasília.
14:00-14:30    Meeting with the IPEA Presidency
14:30-14:45    Opening remarks

• Alberto Arenas de Mesa, Director of the Social Development Division, ECLAC
• Luciana Mendes Santos Servo, President of IPEA
• Jesús Molina, Director of the Training Center of Spanish Cooperation (AECID) in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

14:45-15:30    Presentations 

• “Contributions and interdependence between inclusive social development policies for social cohesion”, Carlos Maldonado, Social Affairs Officer, ECLAC
• "Cohesion, redistribution, and economic elites: exploring aspects of trust in the State and ‘social consciousness’”, Felix Lopez, Department of Studies and State, Institutions and Democracy Policies, IPEA
• "Disinformation, trust, and social cohesion: challenges to the legitimacy of public policies in contexts of informational disorder”, Antonio Brito, Department of Studies and State, Institutions and Democracy Policies, IPEA.

15:30-15:45    Coffee break
15:45-17:05    Commentary Panel

• Yorleny León, Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion of Costa Rica
• Mauricio Rodríguez Amaya, Director General, Department of Social Prosperity of Colombia
• Harold Burbano, Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion of Ecuador
• Gonzalo Civila, Minister of Social Development of Uruguay
• Enid Rocha Andrade da Silva, Department of Social Studies and Policies, IPEA
• Leonardo Avritzer, Emeritus Professor at UFMG, Visiting Researcher at IESP, and ECLAC Consultant
• Daniel Miranda, Researcher, Center for the Study of Conflict and Social Cohesion (COES), Chile
• Emmanuelle Barozet, Center for the Study of Conflict and Social Cohesion (COES), Chile

17:05-17:20    General discussion and exchange
17:20-17:30    Closing and next steps

• Luseni Aquino, Director of Studies and State, Institutions and Democracy Policies, IPEA
• Rodrigo Martínez, Senior Social Affairs Officer, Social Development Division, ECLAC