Opportunities for Socioeconomic Development and Meaningful participation 

Challenge: Citizen participation is key to effective democratic governance! However, 84 million people in Latin America did not vote in presidential elections in the last 12 months. This is 1 in 3 citizens.

A significant number of citizens no longer appear to view democracy and governance as a means to improve the quality of their lives. This is despite advancements in human development indicators. Nevertheless, when citizens turn out to vote in elections, they do so with the expectation that the winning candidate will improve some aspect of the quality of their lives. When people demand public services and administrative processes, they do so under the expectation that the public sector is in a position to help improve an aspect of their living conditions, but deep transformations in public institutions are required in order to be able to respond to these demands. When people feel insecure or threatened, it is the public sector's responsibility to provide opportunities and means to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts and to provide security and protection

In the following ways:

1. Strengthening institutions that guarantee the protection of the right to participation in the public sphere - with special attention to elections, parliaments, civic spaces, and the media.

2. Promoting inclusive participation - with a focus on the participation of women (in collaboration with the gender team), youth, indigenous peoples, migrants, and displaced people, and people living with disabilities

3. Undertaking actions in order to foster institutional conditions for strong, just and sustainable economic growth - for instance, effective and inclusive coordination in implementing the 2030 Agenda.