The EUROsociAL+ programme in alliance with the Gabo Foundation convenes the virtual workshop ‘Coverage of the challenges for social cohesion in Latin America’, which will be led by the journalist, teacher and member of the Governing Council of the Gabo Foundation, Mónica Gonzalez (Chile).

Journalists from Latin America and Europe, with at least three years of experience in permanent coverage on topics related to the activity’s theme, linked to some media outlet or freelancers can apply to this call. Up to 20 participants will be selected by public call.

The workshop will take place virtually, in six synchronous sessions of two hours each, in which the teacher will present the topics to be discussed and will open the conversation with journalists, so that they can present comments, doubts and experiences that everyone can learn from. Invited experts will participate.

More information here

In these moments of crisis, there is a greater demand for leadership by the central state and sub-national levels, together with the need for clear frameworks of action and coordination that adequately respond to the systemic nature of the health and socio-economic impact, implementing measures that help to overcome it. With a view to an effective recovery, the role of the state, as a strategic coordinator and balancing mechanism of different capacities and interests, is fundamental for the coordination of long-range processes that ensure social cohesion and prosperity in accordance with democratic principles and international commitments on gender equality.

The territorial approach in policies and actions developed in the context of socio-economic recovery is essential for national policies to provide a framework and promote development and the economy in the territories, and, in a broader sense, a better quality of urban life.

The LAC-EU Roundtable promoted by the current Presidency of MINURVI (Assembly of Ministers and Highest Authorities in Housing and Urban Development of Latin America and the Caribbean), with the support of EUROsociAL+, the European Union’s programme for social cohesion in Latin America in association with UN Habitat seeks to exchange experiences, strategies and approaches between the two regions to face the socio-economic crisis derived from the pandemic, addressing the contribution from urban and territorial development, as well as from housing and the construction sector, to socio-economic recovery responses in cities.

The meeting is structured in two sessions:

• Wednesday, 26 May 2021 (09:00 Colombia-16:00 Brussels):Ministerial round table.

See session recording

• Thursday, 27 May (08:45 Colombia-15:45 Brussels): Technical round table

See session recording

Authorities from 15 institutions in the country participated in the 2nd Dialogue Round Table of EUROsociAL+ in Colombia, to approve the roadmap with the nearly 30 actions that will be implemented throughout 2021 by the EU EUROsociAL+ Programme together with the Colombian institutions.

The EUROsociAL+ cooperation model is based on the principle of demand and on permanent dialogue on public policies through the exchange of expertise and public knowledge between the European Union and Latin America. The process to define which actions EurosociAL will implement in each country culminates in the “Dialogue Round Tables”, which are spaces for inter-agency coordination to prioritise the demands of the Latin American countries and improve the coherence, impact and sustainability of the public policies the programme supports.

New about 2ª Mesa de Diálogo de EUROsociAL+ en Colombia

Presentation of the comparative analysis of the evaluation and certification systems of labour competency of the people in the countries of the Pacific Alliance. The presentation of this study, in addition to strengthening the links and cooperative relationships between the entities of the labour competency certification systems and the European Union, is a relevant milestone that allows the structural, technical and methodological characteristics of these systems to be made transparent, identifying their similarities and differences, and eliminating opacities when moving towards their homologation.

The study consists of a descriptive chapter of the systems for each member country of the Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico), a comparative chapter of the certification systems and an executive summary that synthesises the comparison of the systems and establishes recommendations for advancing the purposes of homologation.

This activity is co-organised by the Pacific Alliance, the Ministry of Labour of Colombia, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Mexico, the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion of Peru, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Chile, the Public Employment Agency of Peru (SENA), CONOCER México, Chile Valora and by the area of Social Policies of the EU EUROsociAL+ Programme.

Sector representatives from Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Europe will share their views on the impact that COVID-19 had on supply markets, the protection and prevention measures that were developed to minimise professional risks, and the policies and protocols adopted for the progressive resumption of activity.

This series of online exchange meetings on the measures that countries are taking in the face of COVID-19 for the care of safety and health at work at the time of economic reactivation contributes to strengthening and improving decision-making. The first topic addressed was that of the construction sector; the second, on urban and suburban public transport; and the third, related to work in private homes.

This activity is co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security of Argentina, the Superintendency of Occupational Risks of Argentina, the Office of the International Labour Organization Southern Cone, and by the Social Policies area of the European Union programme EUROsociAL+.

In this webinar, Oscar Acevedo (Colombia) shares his experiences on how perpetrators in prisons in Colombia and Guatemala recognise their violent acts. In both countries, the fact of recognising or not recognising the damage done is closely linked to different factors and sociocultural representations of machismo, the role of women, among other things. At the same time, the legal frameworks, the work approach of the justice operators and the various methodological interventions on how to work with perpetrators from different perspectives that enable an understanding of gender violence. Oscar will also provide some examples of how programmes should work with perpetrators in the prison context.

The objective of the activity is to carry out a detailed analysis of the existing programmes both in Europe and Latin America in order to build bridges of cooperation with a view to the creation of a bi-regional work network. It is about promoting a joint focus to learn from each other and design better public policies for working with male aggressors to avoid recidivism.

This activity is co-organised by Work With Perpetrators European Network (WWP EN) and the EUROsociAL+ Gender Equality policy area.