This thematic area aims to promote the effective and full exercise of economic, social and cultural rights of all the inhabitants of the Latin American and Caribbean countries, with the intention of achieving greater well-being, contributing to the achievement of equity, social inclusion and equal opportunities, through the improvement of living conditions.

SELA strives to promote the development of specialised research, formulation of public policies and training consistent with this perspective, in order to contribute to improving the people’s living conditions, including food, education, health, social protection, labour rights, and timely response and recovery from disasters, among others.

By holding various meetings, workshops, seminars and publications, the organisation promotes a strategy to support the countries of the region in accelerating social progress by fostering a social and human environment more conducive to the well-being of the population, with special emphasis on reducing poverty levels and inequality of opportunity, contributing to the improvement of the well-being of all, creating proportionally greater progress for the poor and the excluded. In this context, the Permanent Secretariat has proposed the thematic area of Social Development, which covers the following goal:

Contribute to the improvement of social development indicators

in the region, in a sustainable and resilient manner, by means of initiatives

for cooperation, capacity building, agreements and exchange of best practices,

in order to achieve comprehensiveness, considering economic

and environmental development policies.

Sustainable and Resilient Development Programme

Objective: Develop, manage, and disseminate the knowledge necessary for the implementation of inclusive social development policies, in order to achieve greater cooperation in the implementation of the circular economy and to develop regional public sector capacities in areas of high social impact, ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being.

Activities in 2025:

• III Virtual Seminar on sustainable agriculture
• III Seminar on circular economy
• XXXIII Meeting of International Cooperation Directors
• V Workshop on public policies based on behavioural economics
• Cyberdiplomacy: ethical governance of Artificial Intelligence
• Training in integration for development

Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme

Objective:  Frame regional structures that help diminish vulnerabilities, respond effectively to emergency situations and care for the populations most vulnerable to extreme natural phenomena through social protection systems.

Activities in 2025:

• Second Diploma Course on Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management
• Public-private partnerships for resilience building
• Initiatives to leverage investment in risk management
• IV Workshop on disaster risk management
• ALCE-SELA Regional Meeting

Human Mobility Programme

Objective: Seize the opportunities presented by cooperation between countries of origin, destination and transit, in order to have a positive impact on the development offered by human mobility, considered from an integral vision that involves the socio-economic development processes of the region.

Activities in 2025:

• Forum on best practices in migration issues
• Discussion panel on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
• Training in migration data
• Discussion panel on voluntary return
• Workshop on integration of migrant women and girls
• Discussion panel on women’s participation in the reconstruction of the social fabric