- With the presence of the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, authorities inaugurated the forty-first session of ECLAC in Santiago de los Caballeros.
SANTIAGO, Chile – Latin American and the Caribbean must strengthen institutional capacities and deepen regional integration to manage the vital transformations required by the new global geopolitical and geoeconomic context, agreed representatives of countries in the region today during the inauguration of the Forty-first session of ECLAC, 9 October 2026, in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
In the opening of its most important biennial meeting, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) invited countries to understand, anticipate, and successfully navigate the new global context and consider possible paths to take regarding development challenges—the “hows”—introducing a new analytical framework on governance and institutionality, centered on the paradigm of managing transformations as a prerequisite to driving sustainable structural changes.
The event was inaugurated by Luis Abinader Corona, president of the Dominican Republic; José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, executive secretary of ECLAC, and Gustavo Lembcke Hoyle, ambassador of Peru in the Dominican Republic, in representation of the country which served as chair for the fortieth session of ECLAC.
The opening ceremony was attended by Raquel Peña, vice president of the Dominican Republic; Michelle Bachelet Jeria, ex-president of Chile and co-chair of the ECLAC Commission on Geopolitics, Globalization, and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean; Victor Bisonó, minister of foreign affairs of the Dominican Republic; Carla Barnett, secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Albert Ramdin, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS); Lina Ajoy, secretary general of the Central American Integration System; and Julia Sánchez, resident coordinator of the United Nations System in the Dominican Republic, among other authorities.
“We are living in times of profound change. Forms of production, commercial relationships, and international balances are all changing. Artificial intelligence is transforming work, knowledge, and services at a speed that forces us to make decisions just as quickly. Meanwhile, our citizens are making a very concrete request of us: opportunities, security, and the possibility of building a future through their effort. The question we must answer is: how can we translate these transformations into wellbeing for our people? How can we keep a new era of innovation from reproducing the inequalities we have still not managed to overcome? No country in our region can meet all these challenges on its own. We must listen to each other, learn from each other, and cooperate more effectively. The diversity of Latin America and the Caribbean can be a strength if we are able to build lasting agreements. That is the value of this meeting,” affirmed president Luis Abinader.
Ambassador Gustavo Lembcke Hoyle, for his part, emphasised the work Peru has done during the last two years: “It has been an honor to serve as chair. We trust that we have made a constructive contribution to the Commission’s work and our countries’ shared efforts to move toward more productive and sustainable development. We acknowledge ECLAC’s valuable contribution to economic and social thought in Latin America and the Caribbean, to formulating public policy, and to strengthening regional dialogue and cooperation within a multilateral framework,” he stated.
In his inaugural speech, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs emphasised that “the session of ECLAC is an opportunity to think. And that has become a rare currency. Overwhelmed as we are with constant emergencies and crises, it is easy to lose sight of the horizon. This meeting allows us to take a step back, lift our gaze, and understand how the context and conditions for development in Latin America and the Caribbean have changed. It is a chance to reflect on development as a deliberate, conscious, and voluntary exercise. Because, as we have said many times, more productive, inclusive, and sustainable development is not a predetermined destiny; it will not come automatically but rather requires vision and clear, broad, and sustained commitment by different sectors of society,” he stated.
Following the inaugural ceremony, the executive secretary of ECLAC presented the document Managing Transformations in an Era of Ruptures, a complete and updated publication on the Commission’s substantive thought. It lays out a strategic vision for Latin America and the Caribbean, examines the current global geopolitical landscape, as well as its main dynamics and implications, and analyses the challenges this context creates for development policy and international insertion for countries in the region.
The ECLAC position document will be analysed in detail in a high-level technical seminar organized into three panels: i) a new stage of regional integration: what to do and how to move forward; ii) digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and productive development; and iii) macroeconomics for development and sound and strong taxation.
“Development means transformation, and learning to manage transformations means learning to drive development with intention and strategic sense,” stated the executive secretary of ECLAC.
The institutional publication draws on the recently launched report Ruptures and opportunities: proposals for Latin America and the Caribbean to thrive in the new geopolitical era, prepared by the ECLAC Commission on Geopolitics, Globalisation, and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, which will be presented on 8 October 2026, during the dialogue of ministers and high-level authorities, designed to be a privileged space for political reflection and strategic dialogue on the future of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The forty-first session of ECLAC marks the beginning of the Dominican Republic’s term as chair of ECLAC, which will continue through the next session in 2028, and the end of the current term as chair served by Peru since the fortieth session, held in Lima in 2024.
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