• The Asunción Declaration reaffirmed the commitment of development banks in Latin America and the Caribbean to productive transformation, sustainability, inclusion, and regional cooperation in response to the new global economic landscape.

May 22, 2026 – After three days of discussions, high-level sessions, and exchanges of experiences among financial leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, the 56th Ordinary Meeting of the General Assembly of the Latin American Association of Development Finance Institutions (ALIDE) concluded, consolidating a regional agenda focused on Investing, Innovating, and Including to achieve inclusive, sustainable, and resilient development across the region.

As the meeting’s main outcome, the Asunción Declaration was issued, outlining the key commitments and strategic priorities of development banking in response to an international context marked by economic uncertainty, productive fragmentation, geopolitical tensions, and climate-related challenges.

In the Declaration, the institutions recognized that the region faces structural productivity gaps, persistent inequality, and fiscal constraints. At the same time, they identified opportunities arising from the relocation of value chains, industrialization, agricultural development, the energy transition, and digital transformation.

Digital Transformation, Resilient Infrastructure, and Regional Cooperation

One of the main points of consensus reached during the Assembly was the need to accelerate technological innovation and digital transformation within development finance institutions.

Participants also emphasized that “development banks change people’s lives and have a direct impact on their development. And, naturally, when people develop, a country develops, and so does an entire region.”

In this regard, ALIDE members reaffirmed the importance of strengthening innovation ecosystems, digital infrastructure, technology-based entrepreneurship, and specialized human capital development programs in order to enhance regional competitiveness.

They also committed to financing resilient infrastructure in clean energy, water, and sustainable transport; promoting climate-smart agrifood systems; and strengthening rapid-response instruments for disasters, particularly in the Caribbean.

Likewise, they reaffirmed their commitment to promoting financial and non-financial instruments targeted at women, youth, MSMEs, rural communities, and Indigenous peoples, with the objective of ensuring that the benefits of investment and innovation reach more people and territories.

In addition, they reiterated the importance of strengthening regional cooperation and advancing toward a more representative, agile, and equitable international financial architecture for emerging economies, while working more dynamically with bilateral and regional financial institutions as strategic partners.

Next Assembly Venue

Belize will host the 57th ALIDE General Assembly, with the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) serving as host institution for the most important regional gathering of development banking in 2027.

DFC Chief Executive Officer Henry Anderson noted that the event represents an opportunity for the Caribbean to strengthen its integration with Latin America and the Caribbean, and highlighted that the institution will be pleased to welcome ALIDE members next year.