HAVANA.- The importance of South-South cooperation for the social and economic development of the nations was highlighted on Wednesday in Havana during the debates of the the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Head of the South-South Cooperation Committee Agustin Garcia-Lopez said, while presenting the results of the work correspondent to the last two years, that it is an essential pillar in the architecture of international relations.

The executive director of the Mexican International Cooperation for Development Agency also referred on the need to focus on cooperation in a horizontal way, with similar advantages for the countries.

Heading the presidency of the Committee, which Cuba will assume, Garcia-Lopez mentioned that the last two years such structure became an open inclusive platform and participatory in exchanges of experiences.

He added that the period was promoted as a space of dialog between regional countries on route towards the implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and achieving key objectives in the economic area, technological infrastructure, strengthening of capacities, food security, combat poverty and inequality, and environmental safety.

Garcia-Lopez added that Cuba acquired the Presidency of the Committee as one of the most recognized actors for its solidarity in favor of other developing nations.

He gave as examples the support offered by Cuba to Mexico with medical aid after the earthquake that hit the nation in September of 2017 in addition to Mexico’s solidarity after the passing of Hurricane Irma across the Caribbean island.

The day’s session included a panel on the challenges of the countries in face to the 2nd High Level Conference of the UN on South-South Cooperation aimed at an agreement to a regional position.

ECLAC’s South-South Cooperation Committee meets every two years during a period of sessions to revise and define the cooperation activities for the development of the Commission and discuss the tendencies in the area.

Representatives of the 45 member States and 13 associated to the ECLAC will debate until Friday at Havana’s Convention Center multiple issues of interests for the advancement of the entity.

Among the main axis of analysis is the Inefficiency of inequality, as the document is called that collects the positions of ECLAC on the consequences of inequality and strategies to take.

Cuba is site of the Commission meetings for the first time since the triumph of the Revolution.