The Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Latin America and the Caribbean (CODS) at the Universidad de los Andes is part of the United Nations Sustainable Solutions Network (SDSN), led by Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. The process of establishing the Center has been guided by a committee composed of professors from the School of Management and the School of Economics of the Universidad de los Andes, as well as members of the SDSN. The Center seeks to become a place for meeting and thinking about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in partnership with universities of excellence, businesses, governments and civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Center aims to serve as a platform for the dissemination of knowledge and contribute to the training of the next generation of leaders in sustainable development in the region and to monitor and evaluate policies and programs in the region to achieve the SDGs. In addition, it also seeks to contribute from the region's experience to global discussions on the SDGs, as well as to design and lead a research agenda related to the most relevant SDGs for the region. All of these are analyzed with a special focus on issues related to urban sustainability and climate action and their interrelationships. The Center develops its work through four main transversal axes: i) Research: with the creation of alliances to promote and articulate the financing of a regional research and thinking agenda. ii) Training: with the creation of spaces to exchange knowledge and formal and non-formal education courses to deepen the understanding of the SDGs in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. iii) Data Observatory: which seeks to contribute to improve decision-making by agents of change involved in the implementation of the SDGs at the regional level and iv) Advocacy: whose objective is to improve decision-making in the public and private spheres to advance in the fulfillment of the SDGs in the region. Since its launch in September 2018, the Center has worked on the consolidation of a strategic alliance with nine universities at the regional level. Relying on this alliance, the Center has held four international seminars, each focusing on one of the
SDGs, thus strengthening the Center's own research agenda. The CODS has been working on the creation of a portfolio of courses and open lectures on sustainable development and how to achieve the goals proposed in the 2030 Agenda. Also, highlight the work done in the Data Observatory with the launch of the SDG Index for Latin America and the Caribbean, which allows to understand with data the progress of 26 countries in LAC in achieving the SDGs.