Ministerial Session I: Addressing barriers to social mobility: Education and skills, gender, and migration

Oct 22, 2024 | 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Bogota, Colombia

Education Gender Skills Social Mobility Migration

Description

Despite decades of innovative social programmes, social mobility remains stagnant in Latin America and the Caribbean. Social mobility, defined as the change in an individual's socio-economic status compared to that of his or her parents (intergenerational mobility) or within his or her lifetime (intragenerational mobility), is closely linked to equality of opportunity. This involves ensuring that individuals have equal opportunities to succeed in life, regardless of factors such as their parents' socio-economic background, gender, race, ethnicity, place of birth or other uncontrollable circumstances. Education has historically been the most important equaliser of opportunities, and the region has seen a significant increase in educational access in recent decades. However, this access has not been accompanied by an improvement in quality, especially for disadvantaged populations. To address this disparity, it is crucial not only to improve quality and access to education, but also to ensure that education reforms are aligned with long-term economic policies that more effectively connect education supply with labour market needs. Education alone will not be enough if the region's productive structures are not also transformed, allowing economies to generate quality jobs to absorb the growing mass of skilled workers. Improving education and vocational training systems, implementing gender-inclusive policies, particularly in employment opportunities, and promoting careers in STEM fields are necessary steps, but they must be integrated with economic strategies that enable a real connection between education and employment. In addition, solutions must be tailored to the unique challenges faced by the growing number of migrants in the region, including legal challenges and discrimination, which limit their social mobility. This ministerial session will focus on dismantling structural barriers and fostering social mobility for all people in the region, with a comprehensive vision that addresses both education reforms and the necessary economic transformations.