Dialogues about the Future of Uruguay

Discussing the Future of Uruguay

What does the future hold for Uruguay in the next decade? What are the aspirations of its population? Is it possible to make a leap to the highest levels of sustainable development? What gaps must the country close in terms of environmental, economic, and social issues? What public and private resources are required? Many of these questions do not have a single answer.

Development is a complex issue. No country on the planet can boast of achieving total gender equality, zero corruption, or sustainable resource consumption. In this sense, the Sustainable Development Goals, subscribed to by more than 190 countries in the 2030 Agenda, are a compass that allows for establishing a direction to advance globally. Due to its diverse social, economic, and environmental conditions, Uruguay is called to be an example to follow.

Furthermore, there are risks to sustainable development today that go beyond the devastating effects of the pandemic and include the impacts of the war in Ukraine, the consequences of climate change, or the vicissitudes of drug trafficking. Neither democracy nor development can be taken for granted anywhere in the world. Today, it is necessary to prepare for an uncertain future, as evidenced by the rapid progress of artificial intelligence.

In this context, it is necessary to reflect with strategic vision, weighing future risks and opportunities. Just as the country had the diagnostic and planning exercise of the CIDE more than half a century ago, numerous managers, academics, and Uruguayan experts have ventured to explore the future with a strategic outlook. It should not be surprising, therefore, that Uruguay, in addition to being a pioneer in social rights in the region, has experienced notable transformations in issues such as renewable energy or digital infrastructure.

The United Nations system in Uruguay has initiated a process of dialogues about the future, which will pave the way for important international meetings in 2023 and 2024. This process is articulated with other parliamentary initiatives and citizen platforms in Uruguay that share similar intentions. It is ultimately about building, as a society, a more prosperous, healthy, and peaceful future for the country.

These dialogues occur at times of global uncertainty and reassessment of the international landscape. In this context, the Secretary-General of the United Nations proposed a Summit for the Future, which the Member States have decided to hold in September 2024, to forge a new international consensus aimed at improving the present and safeguarding the future.

This is a unique opportunity to restore eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively address the challenges currently faced, as well as those that have emerged in recent years or loom on the horizon. https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future

These are the agencies, funds, and programs that make up the UN System in Uruguay and that participated or will participate in these Dialogues: