About Us
We support efforts by Latin America and Caribbean countries to increase their capacities in public debt management and to foster better debt management practices. We aim to improve debt management through regional integration, sharing of experiences, and cooperation among countries.
The LAC Debt Group is the Group of Latin American and the Caribbean Debt Management Specialists. The Group is made up of 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Our main objective is to strengthen governments' capacity to manage public debt and promote better practices through ongoing experience-sharing and technical discussions across countries
The LAC Debt Group provides a framework to guide public debt management specialists by promoting continuous experience-sharing, technical discussions, and access to standardized debt data. It also fosters innovation, financial market development, and encourages studies on debt management tools.
The LAC Debt Group aims to strengthen governments' capacity to manage public debt through regional cooperation by:
- Enhancing discussions and creating a network for experience-sharing and technical assistance.
- Improving the effectiveness of Debt Management Offices (DMOs).
- Promoting best practices among DMOs on common regional issues.
- Supporting the development of the financial and capital sectors.
LAC Debt Group is made up of 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Each country member of the Group has one vote and can appoint one voting representative to attend the annual meeting.
Application for voting membership is limited to the public entity responsible for debt management in each country.
The LAC Debt Group is headed by the Steering Committee, which delegates oversight of day-to-day operations to the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretaries. The Steering Committee is responsible for the overall policy and direction of the Group. It is made up of seven members, an Executive and a Technical Secretary.
The Steering Committee is responsible for the general policy and direction of the Group. It is composed of seven representatives, along with the Executive and Technical Secretaries.
The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected from among the representatives of the member countries. Steering Committee members serve a two-year term and are eligible for re-election for an additional term.
| Elected by | Member Country |
| Andean Group | Peru |
| Caribbean | Barbados |
| Central America, Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic and Haiti | Panama |
| Southern Cone | Argentina |
| Membership | Brazil |
| Membership | Mexico |
| Chair | Peru |
| Vice-Chair | Argentina |
The advisory Board is comprised of International Organization members who wish to provide guidance to Steering Committee. Members of the Steering Committee identify potential candidates for the Advisory Board based on their commitment to the Group's objectives and mission and their expressed interest in it. Candidates are invited to participate as members of the Advisory Board for a period of two years but are eligible for re-election for one term.
The Executive Secretary is responsible for keeping records of Board actions, assisting in the preparation of the budget, helping develop fundraising plans, and making financial information available to Steering Committee members and the public. The Executive Secretary is Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It proposes to the Steering Committee the agenda for annual meetings, workshops, and other activities.
The Executive Secretary appoints a General Coordinator to establish with an endorsement of the Steering Committee and the other personnel needed in order to support the implementation of the program of the Group.
Representing the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):
Joan Prats – Sector Principal Specialist – Financial Markets (joanp@iadb.org)
Patricio Sepulveda – Sector Lead Specialist (pedrose@iadb.org)
The LAC Debt Group was born during a workshop on the development of bond markets that took place at the IDB in 2004, where representatives of national debt management offices strongly endorsed the notion as well as the importance of the IDB’s support in this endeavor.
The Group was formally created in March 2005 during its first Annual Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where its general framework was established.
Section 1: The name of the organization shall be LAC Debt Group - Group of Latin American and Caribbean Debt Management Specialists (Group).
Section 2: The Group was designed to support the generation of technical knowledge and the strengthening of the institutional capacities of the public entities responsible for debt management in Latin America and the Caribbean (Debt Management Offices - DMOs).
Section 3: The Group will have meetings every year. The date and place of the regular annual meeting shall be set by the Steering Committee.
Section 4: Notice of the annual meeting shall be given to each public entity responsible for debt management in the member countries, by e-mail or fax, not less than two months before the meeting.
Section 5: The Steering Committee may call special meetings of the Group.
Section 1: Application for voting membership shall be limited to the public entity responsible for debt management in each country and -assigned by the authority that supports the purpose statement in Article 1 Section 2- permanent membership is contingent upon being up to date on membership dues.
Section 2: Each country member of the Group has one vote. It shall appoint one voting representative to attend the annual meeting.
Section 3: Other public entities related to public debt management in a country can participate in the Group (with voice but no vote) in coordination with the public entity responsible.
Section 4: International institutions related to public debt management can participate in the meetings of the Group. The invitation and participation of these institutions must be ratified by the Steering Committee.
Section 5: The Steering Committee shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.
Section 1: The Steering Committee is responsible for the overall policy and direction of the Group and shall have seven members: a Chair, a Vice-Chair, an Executive Secretary, and other four Steering Committee officers. It will delegate responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Executive Secretary. The Steering Committee receives no compensation.
Section 2: The Steering Committee shall meet once a year at the time of the Annual Meetings of the Group, at an agreed-upon time and place. It will have as many additional meetings as necessary at the request of any member of the Steering Committee. These meetings can be at the level of conference call. Decisions made should be communicated by e-mail to the Group members.
Section 3: Every meeting of the Steering Committee must have a quorum of at least four of the Steering Committee members before business can be transacted or motions made or passed.
Section 4: An official Steering Committee meeting requires that each Steering Committee member have a written notice not less than two weeks in advance. In specific circumstances, each member of the Steering Committee will have a written notice at least 48 hours in advance.
Section 5: The Steering Committee members shall be elected by the representatives of the voting entities of the member countries.
Section 6: All Steering Committee members shall serve three-year terms but are eligible for re-election for one term.
Section 7: All Steering Committee members, except the Executive Secretary, shall be elected at the corresponding Annual Meeting. Their duties are as follows:
The Chair shall convene the regular meetings of the Steering Committee and shall preside or arrange for other members of the Steering Committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice-Chair and the other three officers.
The Vice-Chair will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the Steering Committee.
Section 8: The Executive Secretary will have the function of representing the Group. Together with the Steering Committee, it will be responsible for defining the Group's strategic guidelines and the research agenda. It Shall lead the organization of the annual meetings of the Group. It shall be responsible for keeping records of the actions of the Steering Committee, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Steering Committee member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained. It shall make a report at each Steering Committee meeting. It shall assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Steering Committee members and the public. The Executive Secretary must be an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) official, who will have a voice but no vote. The Executive Secretary could appoint -with the endorsement of the Steering Committee- a General Coordinator and other personnel needed in order to support the implementation of the program of the Group.
Section 1: The Technical Secretariat of the Group is created with the following functions: coordination and monitoring of the studies to be carried out within the framework of the Group's activities; update of the regional standardized sovereign debt database; update of the Group's website; support the technical aspects of the organization of the annual meetings of the Group; among other activities defined by the Steering Committee.
Section 2: The IDB will hire a consultant or appoint an official to perform the functions of the Technical Secretary of the Group. The Technical Secretary shall be responsible for carrying out the duties assigned to the Technical Secretariat.
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