Latin America and the Caribbean: looking ahead after the Millennium Development Goals: Regional monitoring report on the Millennium Development Goals in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2015

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena

The Caribbean and the post-2015 development agenda

This paper will contend that the post-2015 development agenda presents a major opportunity for Caribbean countries to reverse decades of lagging economic performance and make the transition to balanced, holistic, and people-centred growth and development. The MDGs, while valuable in promoting gains in poverty reduction, health, education, nutrition, and maternal well-being were not tailored to the growth and development needs of the region. This can now be changed by a post-2015 development agenda which goes beyond improving the welfare of citizens by meeting basic needs and enhancing access to primary services. The necessary scaling-up of the MDG framework will require that the sustainable development goals, which will anchor the post- 2015 development agenda, are capable of promoting structural change, competitiveness and output gains while advancing social development and meeting environmental concerns. They must also address the unfinished business of the millennium development goals, primarily in the area of human development.

Inclusive social development: The next generation of policies for overcoming poverty and reducing inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena

Geoparks in Brazil-strategy of Geoconservation and Development

Within the framework of the potential of geopark development and the interest of the geological community in creating new areas for geoconservation in Brazil, the aim of this contribution is to show the importance of geoscience education as a strategy for both geoconservation and development, and for the success and maintenance of new geoparks. A historical and evolutionary approach to the theme reveals the current status of geoscience education in Brazil and offers a panorama of the challenges inherent in preparing for the creation of new geoconservation areas. Proposals that aim to promote geoconservation and sustainability in Brazil include projects that capitalize on geological heritage and its relationship with local communities, proposals that form partnerships between the government, universities, businesses, and non-governmental organizations for the development of education, and changes in the law specifically aimed at geoconservation. Improvement in the educational system, including Earth science education, is undoubtedly one of the best strategies to promote the preservation of our natural heritage, and a cultural change in education will certainly promote changes in other areas.