At a time of growing uncertainty, overlapping crises, and profound change, the XVIII edition of the Ministerial Forum, under the theme “Connecting Policies for Resilient Development,” will focus on the need for integrated public policies to address the challenges of poverty and inequality, productivity and economic growth, social protection, and environmental sustainability.

Organized by the Government of Panama, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the event will take place on 20–21 October 2026 in Panama City, Panama, alongside the Eighth Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since its first edition in 2007, the Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean has established itself as a regional platform for dialogue, collective learning, and cooperation among government authorities, policymakers, and experts to address the region’s main development challenges.

Over the years, the Forum has addressed key issues that have shaped the region’s development agenda and trajectory, including social policy management, youth inclusion, responses to economic and social crises, and social protection financing.