Dialogues on the Future of Uruguay: 2023 Launch

On February 10th, a significant meeting took place between the UN Country Team in Uruguay and the Advisory Council on the Future, where assessments, evaluations, and perspectives related to the series of dialogues on the country's future towards sustainable development were exchanged.

The venue holds special significance: it is the headquarters of sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, a member of the Advisory Council on the Future formed for this initiative. In addition to Atchugarry, the Committee includes the President of the Astur Foundation, Mr. Enrique Iglesias, scientist Martina Crispo, and journalist Carolina García.

On this occasion, the heads of the United Nations in Uruguay held a meeting with the Council to assess the initial phase of the activity and to outline the events for the entirety of 2023. Participants unanimously recognized the significance of these dialogues, which will contribute inputs aiding Uruguay's constructive process towards development.

What kind of country do we want to have in the coming years? What are the topics our society should reflect on to progress towards sustainable development? What challenges must Uruguay face to make the leap towards development?

These and other questions served as the starting point for the "Dialogues on the Future of Uruguay." The initiative proposes conducting a series of conversations over two years to identify the challenges Uruguay must overcome to advance towards sustainable development, defined as a process that entails greater economic and social well-being for its inhabitants, in harmony with the environment.

The aim is for each of these dialogues to translate into concrete outputs that outline ideas and proposals to address the topics discussed, including climate crisis, violence and security, mental health, and the transformation of education.

In 2022, the first two dialogues took place: in September, we inaugurated with the Climate Crisis dialogue, and in November, we held the dialogue on social and solidarity economy.

For 2023, dialogues are planned on the following topics: Parity Democracy (March), Water (April), Sustainable Production (May), Mental Health (June), Science, Technology, and Innovation (August), Work, Productive Transformation, and Productivity (September), and Sustainable Cities (October).