Washington, DC—On February 2, 2013, United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, referred to ECPA as a successful regional initiative while addressing the OAS Permanent Council. Together with two other projects —Connecting the Americas 2022 (an ECPA initiative) and the public-private partnership Pathways for Prosperity— ECPA was highlighted as a ‘good example of dynamism for tackling central problems’.

Ban Ki-Moon also commented on the profound inequality the region remains immersed in, despite several years of economic growth, low inflation, poverty reduction and higher employment. The structural problems that still persist challenge the region in closing important gaps that interfere with the realization of sustainable development and security. The UN leader emphasized the need to rethink a post Rio+20 development agenda with sustainability and equality as fundamental growth pillars. To achieve these sustainable development milestones, the UN has appointed a High-Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda. The Panel includes four OAS Member states: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the United States. Finally, he highlighted the vitality of the Americas as a whole and its potential to strengthen the global partnership for development.