In view of the forthcoming publication of the new Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2019, the workshop provided a platform for exchange between diverse stakeholders from Latin America and the Carribean to reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and transformative pathways from a regional perspective. The GSDR was commissioned by the member states of the United Nations as an instrument to follow up on progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Drafted by an independent group of scientists, the report will also help address implementation of the 2030 Agenda by adopting a systems approach, highlighting emerging trends and by facilitating science-policy engagement at the global level.

In this context, the workshop aimed at identifying a set of priority SDGs and relevant trade-offs and co-benefits pertaining to the region, sharing success stories and failing pathways towards sustainable development in the region, and feeding into the GSDR by contributing a vision for a transformation pathway for Latin America and the Caribbean. Working groups with stakeholders from academia, civil society, the private sector, and governments across the continent reflected on the topics of inequalities, the urban-rural nexus, climate change, and resource management from a holistic angle, and formulate innovative approaches to overcome the challenges and seize creative and integrated proposals for transformative pathways.

The consultation workshop was organized by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungpolitik (DIE) and the Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern (CDE) in support of the GSDR. It is part of the GSDR consultation process across regions which aims to reach out to local experts for their contribution and views on the report content.

The event took place just before the start of the T20 Summit held from 16-18 September 2018 in Buenos Aires. The summit, which provided a collaborative space for interrogation of transformations as input to the G20 process, presents an opportunity for the workshop to encourage dialogue and actions including examining potential trade-offs involved with strategies for achieving the SDGs and pursuing transformational change in different contexts across the region.

Keynote

• Francisco Gaetani, National School of Public Administration (ENAP), Brazil

Input

• David Smith, University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica; author of the GSDR

Discussant:

• Imme Scholz, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

Closing remarks:

• Sven Grimm, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)