ECLAC, CAF and IDB Launch Database on Infrastructure Investments in

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30 August 2016|Press Release

INFRALATAM presents figures from 15 of the region’s countries for the 2008-2013 period.

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The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the CAF–Development Bank of Latin America, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are making available as of today the INFRALATAM website that offers figures on the infrastructure investments made in countries of the region.

In its first stage, the joint initiative—which seeks to gauge and promote the analysis of investments in this field—presents data on infrastructure investments in 15 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay), for the 2008-2013 period.

INFRALATAM contemplates the recording of annual figures and includes investments by the public and private sectors aimed at acquiring economic infrastructure assets (water and sanitation, defense against flooding, energy, irrigation, telecommunications and transportation).

INFRALATAM is a project that proposes annual updates of the figures as well as the expansion of coverage to include more countries, and a process of continual improvement of the available data. It is hoped that this information will be of use to those entities responsible for public policy and planning in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and also for public, private and international actors such as investors, scholars, builders, equipment suppliers and civil society organizations, among others.

In addition, this database could become the main instrument for the analysis and development of quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, as set forth in Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was approved by the United Nations in 2015. The inclusion of Goal 9 marks a fundamental step forward in terms of how infrastructure is positioned in the drive for sustainable development, and it implies that public policies will play a greater role in moving towards the higher levels of quality investment needed to improve the quality of life of people in the region.

To achieve better public policies on infrastructure, it is necessary to have good knowledge of past and current trends in public and private investment in this sector. The information provided by INFRALATAM seeks to partly fill the gap in terms of data, promoting discussion and enriching the debate around building infrastructure along the path towards sustainable development.

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