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Nineteen member countries of the LLECE Laboratory and representatives from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), as well as representatives from various evaluation agencies of Latin America and the Caribbean, participated in the meeting. Attendees shared experiences on best practices in evaluation and to enhance collaborative work, focusing on the importance of generating evidence to make better decisions for recovery and transformation at the educational level.

During the three days of work, various thematic axes were addressed to promote improvements in the evaluation of educational quality in the region. Initially, the discussion centered on evaluation as a dynamic tool that can facilitate the identification of learning areas affected within the context of the pandemic. Then, the SER evaluation, a measure from the Secretary of Education of the District (Bogotá), was discussed, aiming to assess not only the academic knowledge of each student but also other aspects that encompass each individual's holistic development.

On the last day of the meeting, experts worked on innovations in the evaluation of educational quality, recognizing that the methodologies applied must also evolve to reflect the current needs and contexts of the countries.

"The participation in this meeting reaffirms the purpose of UNESCO's LLECE Laboratory to work and share experiences regarding the quality of education in Latin America and the Caribbean, to strengthen ties and synergies between the participating countries, and to share their good practices and educational innovations," emphasized its general coordinator, Carlos Henríquez.

Henríquez added that this would be "promoting a concrete and mobilizing agenda that goes from commitment to action, as agreed at the meeting of ministers of Education held last January."

On her part, the general director of ICFES, Elizabeth Blandón, assured that "evaluation is a powerful tool for change that, applied with discernment, has the potential to transform our educational systems. It is the pillar on which we can build a promising future for education in Latin America."

The Latin American meeting on educational evaluation continued the event held in Venezuela at the end of 2023, which promoted an evaluation agenda to serve the educational improvements needed in the region. It is expected that through these meetings, a collective and collaborative construction will be generated, adding value to the evaluation processes as a way to continue contributing to the recovery, reactivation, and educational transformation.

During this event, efforts were made to contribute to the advancement of the regional framework for educational recovery and transformation committed last January at the Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean, generating opportunities for input, enrichment, and nurturing a shared vision that focuses on the students of Latin America and the Caribbean to improve their learning and wellbeing.

Once the regional event concluded, the 19 attending countries signed the Colombia Declaration, which invited the countries to continue working under a purpose that drives:

1. The regional evaluation agenda and the role of UNESCO's LLECE Laboratory as a coordinating body, which seeks synergy among countries and supports them in the development of their educational policies, always from a perspective of collaboration and shared commitment.
2. That contributions to the frameworks of recovery, reactivation, and educational transformation be considered, where evaluation plays a central role in improving educational systems with equity.
3. The creation of working commissions for early childhood, migration, and special educational needs, with the aim of exchanging experiences so that, from the perspective of educational evaluation, support can be provided to students who need it, recognizing diversity and their different contexts.
4. The reaffirmation of the countries' commitment to UNESCO's LLECE Laboratory on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, to continue enhancing a regional agenda that decisively contributes to action through evaluation based on evidence and a common vision among the countries.