• On the final day of the meeting, participants shared reflections and lessons learned from the exchange of ideas, as well as the Santo Domingo Declaration, which summarizes the commitment of ALIDE and its members.

May 15, 2025 – The 55^th General Assembly of the Latin American Association of Development Finance Institutions (ALIDE), held in Santo Domingo, concluded with an emphatic call to intensify regional cooperation, promote financial innovation, and coordinate joint efforts to address the multiple challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean on their path to sustainable development.

During the three days of deliberations, more than 220 representatives from 29 countries agreed on the need to adopt a comprehensive vision of security—economic, food, climate, energy, digital, and social—as a central axis for building more resilient and inclusive societies. However, a persistent contradiction was highlighted: while the current crises demand collective and solidarity-based responses, the global scenario remains marked by fragmented interests and limited access to international resources.

Financing paradoxes and shared challenges

Among the main points of reflection, various paradoxes of the current financing system emerged. One of the most notable aspects was the situation of the most vulnerable sectors, such as small-scale agriculture, which face greater barriers to accessing credit, despite their crucial role in the region’s food security.

A survey conducted by ALIDE revealed that 62% of development banks believe that their countries lack a coordinated development financing system, leading to fragmented action across sectors.

It was also noted that current financial regulations often discourage, rather than promote, long-term financing, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises and rural sectors, which are essential for inclusive and sustainable development. In light of this, there was a call to rethink regulatory frameworks to align them with the mission and nature of development banking.

Creativity and integration as responses

Faced with the growing demand for development resources, the urgency of adopting innovative and creative approaches was emphasized. The representatives highlighted the importance of mobilizing private sector financing and strengthening collaboration among governments, development banks, international organizations, and local communities.

The strategic role of development banks from industrialized countries and multilateral organizations in channeling long-term financing, technical assistance, and specialized knowledge to the region was also highlighted. In this context, a special call was made for solidarity with the small island states of the Caribbean, which face severe structural restrictions in accessing climate finance and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the environmental and energy crises.

Toward a new development banking agenda

The participants agreed that development banks must rethink their role, moving from being a mere channel for financial resources to becoming a coordinating agent of development systems. In this regard, the need to adapt financial instruments to territorial realities and move toward a regulatory framework that supports the objectives of sustainable development was emphasized.

Agriculture was identified as a key sector for achieving food security, with a specific call to decisively support small-scale producers, who, despite ensuring the population’s food supply, continue to be the most affected by poverty and financial exclusion.

The Assembly concluded with the presentation of the Santo Domingo Declaration, which outlines the commitments made by ALIDE and its member institutions to build a more inclusive, resilient, and solidarity-based financial architecture, aimed at ensuring comprehensive security and a sustainable future for Latin America and the Caribbean.