Latin American officials have called for further regional integration toward sustainable and inclusive development.

Integration is a strategic requirement for reducing inequalities in the region in the context of an increasingly competitive international environment, said Miriam Belchior, Brazil's minister of planning, budget and management, on Thursday.

"The political dimension of integration has provided countries in the region with unity needed to confront challenges in the 21st century," she told her colleagues at a conference co-sponsored by the Brazilian government and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena said Latin American countries should adopt a lasting and inclusive model for economic growth and a post-2015 agenda for regional development.

Though the region has made great achievements in economic development and poverty reduction over the last two decades, there is doubt over whether the current model can sustain and can reduce economic and social segmentation, she said.