Monitoring of SDG 7 policies in Latin American countries

This document is a contribution of ADEME and ECLAC to measurement of the progress in Latin America on energy policies related to Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The document was prepared within the framework of the Energy Efficiency Indicators Database project, which aims to contribute to technical capacity-building in the countries of the region to monitor their progress towards affordable, efficient, secure and modern energy.…

Report on the activities of the Commission, 2022

Since its establishment in 1948, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has been at the forefront of economic and development thinking in the region, fully committed to supporting member States in achieving sustainable development. This report on the activities undertaken by ECLAC in 2022 highlights the Commission’s key achievements and contributions throughout the year and is hereby submitted for the consideration of member States in accordance with the accountability and transparency framework promoted by the United Nations.…

Draft programme of work of the ECLAC system 2025

The draft programme of work of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for 2025 is hereby submitted to the member States of the Commission for their consideration. It highlights the annual priorities that will be considered by the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) and the United Nations General Assembly as part of the intergovernmental reviewing exercise. Under the framework of the United Nations, ECLAC is responsible for fostering the economic, social and environmentally sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean through international c…

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 9

Addressing Water Security in the Caribbean

New narratives for rural transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean: towards a renewed measurement and classification of rural areas

Rural areas have experienced major economic, social, demographic and cultural transformations in recent decades. Rurality is no longer synonymous with agriculture, and heightened interactions between rural and urban areas have had a significant impact on the identities of their populations and the characteristics that define those territories. In Latin America and the Caribbean, however, these transformations have remained relatively invisible to statistics and public policy because of the prevalence of dichotomous and static approaches to the measurement and characterization of rural areas. T…

Natural Resources Outlook in Latin America and the Caribbean. Executive summary

This document is a summary of the Natural Resources Outlook in Latin America and the Caribbean, a forthcoming publication which aims to raise awareness and promote debate on the role of renewable and non-renewable natural resources in the transition to a more sustainable development model. Natural resources play an important role in the economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean. The region is home to almost 20% of the world’s oil reserves, at least 25% of its reserves of certain strategic metals and more than 30% of its primary forests. Natural-resource-based economic activities …

Lithium extraction and industrialization: opportunities and challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean

Lithium is one of the key elements in the energy transition. Until now it has been an essential input in the production of lithium-ion batteries —a key technology for the decarbonization of transport and the storage of energy generated from renewable sources. Lithium is also considered a strategic resource by countries that have abundant lithium deposits. In Latin America, Argentina, Chile and the Plurinational State of Bolivia stand out for their deposits, forming the “lithium triangle”, while Brazil, Mexico and Peru, with smaller deposits, also have the potential to produce significant amoun…

Pathways to sustainable planning for a just energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean: An analysis of best practices in selected countries

This study, prepared within the framework of cooperation between the GET.transform programme and ECLAC for the Regional Technical Forum of Energy Planners, sets forth relevant findings identified following an extensive process of interviews with representatives of planning institutions from selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The study first identified key elements of recurrent practices in energy planning, then analysed strengths and opportunities for improvement, which were grouped into five pillars to promote a just energy transition: fostering competitive markets to supp…

Addressing Key Challenges to Sustainable Growth and Development in the Caribbean

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 5

CEPAL Review No. 139

Exploring the elements of an optimal hydrocarbon fiscal regime

The study analyzes the process for the awarding of blocks among select countries within the western hemisphere, namely Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The findings allow for the determination of key elements of what can be considered an optimal hydrocarbon fiscal regime for Caribbean economies that would allow governments to get their fair share of hydrocarbon rents, while ensuring sufficient exploration and production activity. The study therefore suggests that for the Caribbean, the optimal fiscal regime should include a reservation price, royalties, and a windfall …

Monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 7 indicators in Latin American countries

This document, prepared by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), is intended to assess the status on energy indicators relating to Goal 7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was prepared in the framework of the “Energy Efficiency Indicators Database” project, which aims to build technical capacities in the countries of the region to monitor progress towards affordable, efficient, safe and modern energy.…

Report of the twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 1

Building a climate resilient power sector in the context of the Caribbean small island developing States’ energy transition. Policy Brief

In Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS), electrical power outages are frequent in the aftermath of major weather events. While local service disruptions often last a few days after these events, nationwide power grid failures lasting several weeks, or months have resulted in enormous social and economic impacts. In 2017, Hurricane Maria left 90 per cent of the population of Dominica without access to electricity for over four months (Commonwealth of Dominica, 2020) and caused a systemwide collapse of Puerto Rico's power grid that took 11 months to be entirely restored (Campbell…

Experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean with mainstreaming biodiversity in the productive, economic and financial sectors

The severity of cascading global environmental, climate, economic, social and health crises is such that they sometimes seem insurmountable. ECLAC has therefore compiled a set of best practices, drawing from cases in Latin America and the Caribbean that can serve as models to promote comprehensive structural change and improve socioeconomic and environmental well-being. This study addresses challenges, opportunities and lessons learned as to how mainstreaming biodiversity in the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, financial, manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism sectors is a catalyst for the…

Towards sustainable food and nutrition security in Latin America and the Caribbean in response to the global food crisis

This report, prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), analyzes the international context and how the successive crises, along with the war in Ukraine, are affecting Latin America and the Caribbean’s access to food and to key inputs for regional agriculture, which endangers the food security of the region’s inhabitants, especially of the most vulnerable population.…

Governance approaches and practices in Latin America and the Caribbean for transformative change for biodiversity

The relevance of biodiversity to global climate, health and social stability has been widely documented; its present state of deterioration and loss is an urgent call to change the way in which we live with species and ecosystems. This leads to a recognition of the importance of reformulating the institutions and various processes associated with biodiversity governance at the subnational, national and global levels that have a negative impact on its conservation and sustainable use. In other words, there is a need to design and implement new forms of governance that facilitate positive transf…