MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) met with civil society organizations and government representatives to identify the best ways to cooperate for the promotion of sustainable development in Latin American and the Caribbean.
Some 250 representatives from more than 100 civil society organizations participated in the conference, which was among the activities surrounding the 53rd Annual Meeting of the IDB Group’s Board of Governors here.
Discussions focused on lessons learned from joint projects and on the evaluation and adoption of best practices to improve Bank-civil society-government cooperation.
In the opening session, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno reaffirmed that civil society is a key player in the promotion of sustainable development and an important ally in the Bank’s work in each country.
Moreno emphasized that this meeting would play a vital part in the development of relationships within the Bank-civil society-government triad. He congratulated panelists on the productivity of their discussions, during which they explored “ideas about how to extend the collaboration of the triad at the level of dialogue, consultation and exchange of information; of public policies; and specifically at the level of the IDB’s operations in the region."
Panelists included Roberto Vellutini, IDB Vice President for Countries; Andres Scagliola, National Director of Social Policy in Uruguay’s Ministry of Social Development; Teresa Herrera, member of the Uruguayan Network against Domestic Violence; Eduardo Shaw, Executive Director of DERES (Corporate Social Responsibility); and Aler Donadío, President of INDRA, Land and Water Development.
Uruguay’s Consultative Group on Civil Society (ConSOC) co-organized the meeting, which ended in a brainstorming session. Panelists and representatives of participating organizations discussed the advantages of including civil society in the development and implementation of public policy; participation strategies that translate into concrete results; and how to strengthen Bank-civil society-government working relationships.