On Wednesday, December 9, the third EUROsociAL+ dialogue meeting took place, allowing the drawing up of a work plan for the next twelve months, after a strategic prioritization for reducing inequality, in response to post-Covid reconstruction, strengthening inter-institutional ties to move towards multidimensional reforms and taking advantage of synergies, and as a complement of other cooperation projects and initiatives.

The AUCI executive director, Mariano Berro, highlighted the participatory dialogue process between the institutions and the coordination for the design and development of public policies. He also expressed that "this is a model that can be replicated in other countries, based on evidence, knowledge and expertise, led by national institutions to identify and resolve their needs," he stressed.

The Uruguayan Social Development Minister, Pablo Bartol, emphasized on this roadmap “the support for the homeless response system, based on policy models focused on accessible housing; work related to migration; and the comprehensive plan for the promotion of employment adapted to the real world of the labor market”.

For his part, the Ambassador of the EU to Uruguay, Karl-Otto König, emphasized “the relevance of Uruguay and the EU that assign social cohesion as a pillar for the construction of an inclusive society, which gives development opportunities to everyone, so as not to leave anyone behind "

Among the new actions to be implemented by the three areas of social policies, governance and gender equality of EUROsociAL+ and Uruguayan institutions, is the national plan aimed for migrants in vulnerable situations with the Social Development Ministry, with a comprehensive fiscal management subnational through the incorporation of ICTs together with the Planning and Budget Office, and the training program for women politicians with the National Institute of Women.

The EUROsociAL+ director valued the role of Uruguay in the Program "as a strategic country and a pioneer in these dialogue meetings as mechanisms for strategic prioritization of demand, betting on the multidimensionality of development. In addition, Uruguay transfers its experiences and shares his learnings with other Latin American countries and the EU”.

The dialogue between Uruguayan institutions and the EUROsociAL+ Program will continue after this third “Uruguay Roundtable”, to define in more detail the budget, the accompaniment itinerary and the expected results, with the advice of the coordinating group in order to monitor and evaluate the actions.

The Country Dialogue Meetings initiative is an innovative methodology of the EUROsociAL+ Programme that has inspired the Covid-19 meetings  of the “Team Europe” in Latin America. Uruguay was already a pioneer in 2018, with the implementation of this inter-institutional and multidimensional dialogue mechanism.