The Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean was held for the first time in 2007 to provide ministers and other decision-makers with a space to discuss experiences in public policies in the area of human and social development and to identify responses to the region's new challenges.

This event, organized by the host government with the support of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as that of various other agencies, focuses on particularly important and relevant issues for the region.

Thus, discussions at the Forum have focused on topics such as: social management, youth inclusion, social responses to the global crisis and its aftermath, financing of social policies and social stratification.

The XVI edition of the Ministerial Forum will take place in Bridgetown, Barbados, on 30-31 October and 1 November, 2024, hosted by the government of Barbados with the support of UNDP and ECLAC. The Forum will focus on how social policies can contribute to build resilience in uncertain times.