The circular economy opportunities for wastewater treatment systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

There is abundant evidence of the benefits ––which include the ability to make use of by-products such as water, nutrients, biosolids and energy–– of integrating circular economy principles into drinking water supply and wastewater treatment systems. However, despite the environmental and social returns that it affords, this approach is not recognized as a profitable option for sanitation utilities. The study also highlights the importance of building water and sanitation utilities' technical, operational, policy-based and forward-planning capacities. The present challenge is therefore to…

Towards mainstreaming the gender perspective in statistical production in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Latin American and Caribbean countries have made progress towards mainstreaming the gender perspective in official statistical production, in line with the agreements adopted in the Regional Gender Agenda. At the thirteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in 2016, the governments of the region agreed to “transforming data into information, information into knowledge and knowledge into political decisions” in pillar 9 of the Montevideo Strategy for Implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda within the Sustainable Development Framework …

Diagnosis and recommendations to integrate administrative records related to children: use of administrative records for better statistics on children and adolescents

By adopting the 2030 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) monitoring framework, countries are working towards improving the livelihoods and prospects for children and adolescents to ensure they reach their full potential. To this end, it is key to understand the circumstances in which they live, the barriers they face as well as which programmes and policies work for whom and under what conditions. One cannot improve what is not measured, and disaggregated data on children and adolescents by important dimensions, such as sex and gender, help to uncover how circumstanc…

Work-life balance in the United States: women in the workforce and the policy challenges of a growing care economy

This paper explores the multifaceted challenges of achieving work-life balance in the United States as the country navigates the policy challenges of a growing care economy, particularly focusing on the persistent gender disparities, economic policies, and societal expectations that shape this issue. Women's participation in the labour force has been a major driver of economic growth, yet the absence of supportive policies like paid parental leave and affordable childcare hinders their full engagement and limits national economic potential. The United Sates continues to lag other develope…

Energy recovery from methane in wastewater treatment: case studies in El Salvador, Mexico and Panama

The study also highlights the importance of building water and sanitation utilities' technical, operational, policy-based and forward-planning capacities. The present challenge is therefore to devise ways of enhancing the sector's institutional capacities, not only for the application of circular economy principles in water management in the region but also for meeting the challenges associated with the current innovations being driven by artificial intelligence and big data solutions. Doing so will make it possible to leverage activities and projects that will make a direct contribu…

Annotated provisional agenda. Sixteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025

This report compiles comparable tax revenue statistics over the period 1990-2023 for 27 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. It provides harmonised data on the level and structure of tax revenues based on the OECD classification of taxes, thereby enabling comparison of national tax systems on a consistent basis, both across the region and with other economies globally. The report includes two special features: one examines non tax revenues in the LAC region while the second analyses fiscal revenues from non renewable natural resources in the LAC region in 2023 and 2024. The publicatio…

Who provides childcare?: analysing the distribution of care work in Mexico

Using the care diamond framework proposed by Shahra Razavi, we analyse paid and unpaid care (especially childcare) in Mexico on the basis of four provider categories: family or household, the State, the market and the non-profit sector. Our work combines two main types of data: descriptive statistics and published studies based on empirical research and in-depth policy analysis. We offer a comprehensive description of childcare distribution in Mexico, outlining the four provider categories and institutional and private arrangements that support social reproduction. We highlight the weak public…

Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025: boosting investment for growth and sustainable development

The Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 analyses the developments and main trends in public revenues and expenditures, fiscal deficits, public debt and subnational fiscal accounts for the countries of the region in 2024. It confirms that with limited fiscal space, these countries continued to struggle to build up available resources and therefore faced persistent deficits and high debt levels. This report also examines tax incentive policies in dynamic sectors related to environmental sustainability and proposes strategies to increase effectiveness and strengthen governance…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: 2024 year-in-review and early 2025 developments

Latin American and Caribbean bond issuance in international markets amounted to US$ 121.8 billion in 2024, 36% higher than in 2023 and the strongest figure in three years. The average coupon rate, at 7.1%, was slightly above the 2023 level of 6.9%, indicating that financing costs remain elevated. Although the market was still open to high-yield issuers, investment grade bonds accounted for 57% of the region’s issuance. In 2024, issuance of green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bonds on international markets climbed by 6% relative to 2023, to a total of US$ 33.1 billi…

Port report 2023–2024: mixed signals in trade and ports and new disruptions to international container shipping logistics

This report analyses the state of international maritime trade and port activity for the period 2023–2024. It highlights recovery trends, structural challenges and new disruptions impacting the sector. Consistent with the analysis in the previous report, this report examines the effects of global events, such as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and persistent geopolitical tensions, the repercussions of which continue to impact supply chains. It also identifies emerging trends in logistics management and factors behind fluctuations in port activity and provides an analysis of the mar…

Provisional agenda. Sixteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Measuring the digital society to advance digital inclusion in the Caribbean

Caribbean policymakers and regulators are grappling with the challenges and opportunities associated with the digital transformation, and seeking to develop inclusive, evidence-based policies suited to Caribbean realities. Realizing the need for data related to the digital transformation, efforts are ongoing across the subregion to improve measurement systems and agree on common indicators to enable national and subregional action. One of the outcomes of a 2023 subregional workshop on the measurement of the digital society to advance digital inclusion was a draft list of subregional priorities…

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024

Latin America and the Caribbean is caught in a trap of low capacity for growth, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The region’s economies are projected to expand by 2.2% and 2.4% in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Although these figures are above the 2015–2024 average of 1.0%, they are insufficient to close the gap with the economies of developed countries. The 2024 and 2025 international context is one of highly uncertain financial and trade conditions and slowing growth for the region’s main trading partners. Domestic macroeconomic policy space rem…

Relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and China: areas of opportunity for more productive, inclusive and sustainable development

This document is a contribution by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to discussions of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). It describes the areas of opportunity for advancing towards a common cooperation agenda that fosters more productive, inclusive and sustainable development It draws on the ECLAC analysis of the development traps facing the region and the strategies to overcome them through a set of vital transformations and a new generation of productive development policie…

Report of the sixty-sixth meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Report of the Thirtieth meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES)

Unleashing sustainable growth: financing green productive development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean

Financing the transition to a green economy in Latin America and the  Caribbean demands innovative approaches to address the region’s significant investment gap, estimated at 7%–11% of GDP annually by 2050. This publication focuses on the financial strategies underpinning green productive development policies, which make up a transformative and comprehensive framework that integrates economic goals with environmental sustainability. Key insights include strategies to reallocate subsidies, lower capital costs and foster private sector investment through blended finance and institutional capital…

Summary of the Chair. Eighth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

Agreements. Twenty-fourth meeting of the Executive Committee of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean