Education can’t wait: Enabling conditions and investment for a better future in Latin America and the Caribbean

WHEN: Tuesday, 24 September 2024 from 16.00 to 18.00 (UCT-4)

WHAT: The President of the Dominican Republic, joined by ministers of Education and Finance from Latin America and the Caribbean, a coalition of multilateral organizations and world-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs will launch an urgent call for investment to transform education in the region and ensure a better future for all.

Convened by the Dominican Republic - with support from the Ministry of Education of Chile, UNICEF, UNESCO, ECLAC, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE) and the Varkey Foundation - the high-level event will feature political dialogue and a joint call for governments and partners across the region to ensure financing solutions to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).

WHO:

Governments:

• Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, President of the Dominican Republic
• Pavel Isa Contreras, Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Dominican Republic
• Nicolás Cataldo, Minister of Education, Chile

Multilateral organizations:

• Mandeep O’Brien, Director of UNICEF's Public Partnerships Division
• Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
• José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank
• Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Pablo Bartol, Manager of Social and Human Development, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF)
• Mariano Jabonero Blanco, Secretary-General of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI)
• Nelsy Lizarazo, Vice-President of the Global Campaign for Education, CCNGO representative on the SDG 4 High-level Steering Committee and General Coordinator of the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE, by its Spanish acronym)
• Agustín Porres, Regional Director for Latam, Varkey Foundation 

WHY: Investing in education is not only a moral imperative but a smart solution to break free from the trap of low growth and high inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean. Advancing towards inclusive and equitable quality education is a political decision. However, public spending per student is relatively low in the region compared to more developed economies, especially at the pre-primary level.

WHERE: UNHQ, NYC, Room 1

Connect by UN WEB TV: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1t/k1tv63g4ku

For more information and press inquiries, please contact:

• UNICEF: Sendai Zea, sczea@unicef.org
• UNESCO: Anne Muller, a.muller@unesco.org 
• ECLAC: Public Information Unit, Santiago, Chile, prensa@cepal.org
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): Soledad Planes, mplanes@iadb.org
• World Bank Group: Yuri Szabo, yszaboyamashita@worldbank.org and Carlos Cortes, ccortesgalavis@worldbankgroup.org

• CAF: Mario Huck, mhuck@caf.com
• OEI: Elisa Cantueso, elisa.cantueso@oei.int 
• CLADE: Thais Iervolino, thais@redclade.org
• Varkey Foundation: Juan Pablo Baliña, juanpablo.balina@varkeyfoundation.org

For interview requests with spokespeople at the event, please write to: Soledad Planes, mplanes@iadb.org