CAF Takes Latin America’s Voice to United Nations General Assembly

In the framework of the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations, CAF Development Bank of Latin America celebrated its tenth anniversary as a Permanent Observer of the organization with the event Many Voices, One Region: Latin America and the Caribbean Working Together on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which took place on September 19-20 in New York City. At the event, leaders and heads of state raised the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean and reflected on key issues such as climate change, inequality, poverty, peace and economic growth, among others.

Numerous panels that took place throughout both days discussed the progress and challenges in the region to drive the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Among those participating were Nobel Peace Prize winners Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Juan Manuel Santos; heads of state of Argentina and Guyana; senior figures such as Sergio Díaz-Granados, Christian Asinelli, Jeffrey Sachs, José María Aznar, Martín Torrijos, Epsy Campbell, David Beasley, Marisol Argueta de Barillas, Luis Felipe López-Calva and Manuel Otero; and ministers from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.

With the event, CAF commemorated ten years since its entry into the United Nations as a Permanent Observer. During this period, the organization signed at least 40 instruments (agreements, conventions and letters of cooperation) with more than 20 entities of the UN System, aimed at jointly addressing the major challenges of the region in sectors such as agriculture, finance, education, employment, health, gender, governance, environment, and others. At the end, CAF's Executive President, Sergio Díaz Granados and UNDP's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Luis Felipe López Calva, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions to promote the Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America.

“The fundamental quality of CAF is multilateralism. The institution was born as a result of a shared regional vision, and continues to grow stronger thanks to the courageous and innovative spirit that characterizes us as Latin Americans and Caribbeans. Today, after 10 years as a permanent observer at the UN, we renew our institutional commitment to support actions aimed at protecting the environment, creating jobs, empowering women, and caring for the most vulnerable, hand in hand with the UNDP and the UN System”, stressed Sergio Diaz Granados.

During the first day, multiple panels were held with the participation of Argentine President, Alberto Fernández; CAF's Corporate Vice President of Strategic Programming, Christian Asinelli; the three Latin American Nobel Prize winners, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Juan Manuel Santos; Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero, former Spanish President and Club de Madrid member, José María Aznar; former Panamanian President, Martín Torrijos; Georgetown University Institute of the Americas Director, Alejandro Werner; Mastercard’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations for Latin America and the Caribbean, Darren Ware; former Senior Adviser to President Barack Obama on Latin America, Dan Restrepo; and authors Paula Caballero and Patti Londoño, among other figures. Together, they presented a comprehensive vision of Latin America and the Caribbean before the eyes of the world.

Also present on the second day were Columbia University professor, Jeffrey Sachs; Colombia’s ambassador to the UN, Leonor Zalabata; the ministers of education of Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador, Jaime Perczyk, Alejandro Gaviria, and Maria Brown respectively; the secretary general of the OEI, Mariano Jabonero; and the executive director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, among others. The leaders discussed a variety of topics such as the inclusion of people with disabilities through sports, the sustainability, productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector, food security in the continent, and the implementation of the digital agenda.

Lastly, during the event, CAF also signed strategic alliances with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to promote education, energy transition and social inclusion; with Mastercard to attract more people in the region to the digital economy; and finally with Georgetown University to promote research and academic cooperation.