On Thursday, 9 July 2026, the Development Policy Studies Programme of the Latin American School of Development Studies (ELADES) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was inaugurated, with the participation of 43 young researchers from 13 countries.

Felipe Correa, Coordinator of ELADES, welcomed the students at the headquarters of the United Nations regional commission in Santiago, Chile. He noted that a deeper understanding of development challenges requires multidisciplinary approaches as well as a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives.

During the session, the students introduced themselves and shared their main areas of work and interest. These include education, inequality, migration, gender, economic growth, employment, innovation, citizen participation, security, territorial development and the environment, among others.

More than 500 people from across the region applied to the 2026 edition of the Programme, which concludes on 28 August. The selected students come from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

The Programme is organized into six modules: integral development, human development, social development, economic development, political development and sustainable development. Well-being is the central axis and purpose of development studies throughout the Programme. Classes are taught by ECLAC staff experts and guest professionals.

On Thursday, the students also attended talks by staff from ECLAC’s Hernán Santa Cruz Library and its Security and Safety Unit.