Fifty-one students from 15 countries around the world will participate in the 2026 edition of the Development Policy Studies Program of the Latin American School of Development Studies (ELADES) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which will take place in person from July 9 to August 28, 2026.

This edition of the Program — to be held at the Commission's headquarters in Santiago, Chile — received applications from 521 individuals from 24 countries around the world. The 51 selected participants come from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

The Development Policy Studies Program for Latin America and the Caribbean (formerly the summer school) was established in 2000, and since then more than 700 students from different countries and universities around the world have taken part. Classes are taught by experts from ECLAC staff and invited academics.

The Program is structured around six modules: comprehensive development; human development, social development, economic development, political development and sustainable development. It is a plural space for thought that promotes discussion, reflection, and the generation and exchange of ideas based on the specialized contributions of ECLAC's various divisions and advances across the different dimensions of comprehensive development.

Through this initiative, ECLAC seeks to maintain its connection with the academic world, contributing to the training of specialists in development-related issues.