Vice Chair of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Vice Chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), Mr E. Benito Wheatley of the Virgin Islands (VI) has called on Caribbean members of ECLAC to better prepare for engagement with Latin America at the multilateral level in order to strengthen is participation in international forums. Photo: YouTube

Mr E. Benito Wheatley, Vice Chair of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Vice Chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), spoke at the 22nd Meeting of the Monitoring Committee (MonCom) of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee held from December 8-9, 2025, in Port of Spain. Photo: YouTube

Meeting for meeting’s sake?

According to Mr Wheatley, speaking at the 22^nd Meeting of the Monitoring Committee (MonCom) of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee held from December 8-9, 2025, in Port of Spain, said this is particularly important in an ECLAC context.

“Too often we arrive at intergovernmental meetings without having met prior to ventilate issues and coordinate our positions, so that we are better prepared to engage with our Latin American counterparts.”

Mr Wheatley suggested that the Caricom members need to make more effective use of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee.

“It is not sufficient to attend the CDCC Biennial Meeting, then the Monitoring Committee Meeting the year after and then just repeat the cycle. This is just going through motions on meeting for meeting’s sake.

Preparing for ‘critical meetings’

“We can use the CDCC as a vehicle to prepare for critical meetings of ECLAC, so that we make the most of our participation and engagement with our Latin American partners,” Mr Wheatley, the Special Envoy of the Virgin Islands Premier, stated.

The next ECLAC intergovernmental meeting of critical importance is the Ninth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which will take place in Santiago, Chile, in April 2026.

According to Mr Wheatley, given the rate of progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals that will not be met by 2030, Latin America and the Caribbean must give their input on a post-2030 framework for sustainable development.

“Ahead of the forum, the Caribbean requires its own preparatory meeting to coordinate our positions. Such a preparatory meeting can be done virtually, and this should be our approach for other ECLAC meetings,” Mr Wheatley said.

The Caribbean Members of ECLAC are Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands.

Purpose of ECLAC

The purpose of ECLAC is to promote the economic, social, and environmentally sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean through continuous international cooperation.

ECLAC undertakes research and analysis, disseminates information and data related to the economic and social development of the region, and provides advisory services to governments. It also focuses on strengthening the institutional capacity of countries to improve the governance, policies, management, and sustainable use of natural resources.

ECLAC plays a crucial role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to balance these with earlier focuses on equality and the environmental dimension of economic development.