Together with Inicitativa Latinoamericana de Investigación para las Políticas Públicas (ILAIPP) and Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES), Southern Voice organized the “1st Summit of Iberoamerican Think Tanks” (1er Encuentro de Centros de Pensamiento Iberoamericanos) on 3 & 4 October 2018. The event took place in Guatemala City. It gathered Think Tanks from Iberoamerica, within the framework of the “XXI Summit of Iberoamerican Heads of State” (XXI Cumbre Iberoameriana de Jefes de Estado).

The aim was to promote the potential that think tanks have in supporting and strengthening the cooperation between Iberoamerican countries to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. The organizations have the capacity and responsibility to give public policy advice based on evidence and research. They facilitate the dialogue between civil society and governments.

During two days, representatives of Think Tanks from 17 countries of the region shared their knowledge and research about topics such as: finance for development, South-South Cooperation, associations, institutional processes and proper governance to promote and accomplish SDGs. Among the participating organizations, seven Southern Voice members were present: Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Desarrollo (INESAD), Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (FUSADES), Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES), Centro de Análisis y Difusión de la Economía Paraguaya (CADEP), Grupo Faro, Foro Social de Deuda Externa y Desarrollo de Honduras (FOSDEH) and Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP).

The event’s final document commits the organizations to achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. It acknowledges it as an important platform for eradicating poverty, inequality, and climate change in Iberoamerica.

The final recommendations were:

  1. To institutionalize the Summit of Iberoamerican Think Tanks within the frame of the Summit of Iberoamerican Heads of State. The goal is to constitute itself as a space for reflection, dialogue, analysis and cooperation about possible solutions to the region’s main challenges.
  2. The iberoamerican governments need to reaffirm its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs need to be seen as a priority and a coherent public policy, based on evidence, will help achieve them.
  3. To strengthen the Iberoamerican integration at subnational, national and regional level.
  4. To promote the joint work and collaboration to achieve the SDGs, especially within the framework of South-South Cooperation, by identifying each country’s capacities and strengths.
  5. To study the viability of the implementation of a common system that serves to monitor, evaluate and track accountability for each SDG within all iberoamerican countries. The system’s aim is to help the decision-making process on a national level.
  6. To consider the creation of a common Iberoamerican fund, with both public and private capital, to finance SDGs projects.
  7. To include all social and governmental actors in the design, implementation and evaluation of plans and strategies to achieve the SDGs within the region.
  8. To continue developing lines of work to understand some of the region’s main challenges, such as: migration, gender inequality, opportunities for marginal groups like young people, indigenous and afro-descendants and corruption.

The 1st Summit of Iberoamerican Think Tanks was a success. Following the event´s recommendations, participants hope to meet for a second edition in Andorra in 2019.

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