Institutional strengthening and sustainable financing for Latin American and Caribbean cities: statements delivered at the thirty-second General Assembly of the Forum of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Housing and Urbanism in Latin America and ...

The Forum of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI) is the highest institution of coordination and intergovernmental cooperation for the countries in the region when it comes to housing, urban planning and sustainable urban development. Its General Assemblies are annual instances aimed to promote the exchange of experiences, good practices and lessons learned by member countries, as well as other key actors interested in housing and urban development. In addition, this Forum allows the formation of alliances and launching of ne…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: 2023 year-in-review and early 2024 developments

Latin American and Caribbean bond issuance in international markets totalled US$ 89 billion in 2023, 40% higher than the figure recorded in 2022, but still 35% lower than the average annual level in the three-year period from 2019 to 2021. The average coupon on the region’s bonds issued in international markets was 1.65 percentage points higher than in 2022. Indicating a strong start to the year, international bond issuance amounted to US$ 31.19 billion in January 2024, the region’s third-highest monthly total. In 2023, the region issued US$ 31 billion in green, social, sustainability and sust…

Evaluation policy and strategy. March 2024

The present document describes the revised policy and strategy for the practice of evaluation within the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); it updates and supersedes the 2017 ECLAC evaluation policy and strategy. The purpose of the Commission’s evaluation policy and strategy is to strengthen the evaluation function by maximizing transparency and coherence and ensuring high quality standards in its evaluations, in order, in turn, to contribute to greater accountability, improved performance, and institutional learning within the Commission. The Commission’s policy …

Trade facilitation in Latin America and the Caribbean: formalities, infrastructure and logistics

This issue of FAL Bulletin provides an overview of progress by the region’s countries in implementing their respective trade facilitation agendas and of the main challenges still to be met in this area.…

Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean 2022–2023

This overview examines the economic performance of economies of the Caribbean in 2022 and comprises four chapters. The first chapter provides a comparative analysis across Caribbean economies of the main macroeconomic variables, namely GDP growth, monetary indicators, as well as fiscal and external accounts. The second chapter concludes, while the annex includes individual country briefs that give an overview of the economic situation for the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and a subregional assessment of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currenc…

Exploring the notion of a Caribbean emissions trading scheme: financing the greening of Caribbean economies

Between 2000 and 2019 the Caribbean Community produced between 0.11 and 0.16% of global emissions. However, despite being only minor emitters these countries find themselves highly exposed to the impact of climate change, increasingly vulnerable to floods, droughts, rising temperatures, rising sea-levels, hurricanes and coral bleaching etc. Furthermore, CARICOM Member States have submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC). The subregion has, however, lagged behind in the receipt of grant and concessionary su…

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Regional Gender Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean: gender indicators up to 2023

Latin America and the Caribbean is in the midst of cascading crises that are deepening historical and structural inequalities and which disproportionately affect women. It is therefore urgent for the countries of the region to speed up progress towards achieving gender equality and the full exercise of the rights of women, adolescent girls and girls in all their diversity. This document presents a descriptive analysis of the gender indicators for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the prioritized set of indicators for regional follow-up of the SDGs, in l…

Extreme natural events and disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean 1990–2022: a statistical review

This study presents a review of disaster-related statistics and indicators. It includes global frameworks and some of the main standardized and approved concepts that cater to the demand for disaster statistics and indicators. It also shows the number of events, the number of people killed, the number of people directly affected and the value of all damages and economic losses directly or indirectly related to disasters to give an idea of the state of affairs in the region.…

The future of social protection in the midst of a protracted social crisis in Latin America: advancing towards universal, comprehensive, sustainable and resilient systems

Social protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean face multiple challenges to enhance their universality, comprehensiveness, sustainability and resilience. The region must tackle structural inequalities that are reflected in the coverage, sufficiency and financial sustainability of these systems. These issues are exacerbated by additional problems related to a highly complex context. A series of cascading crises, which includes the health, economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been compounded by a reconfigured social risk structure that conditions the future of s…

Design and implementation of the District Care System of Bogotá: a political, social and fiscal covenant

In recent years, cascading crises, including the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, have highlighted the unjust social organization of care and the need for a new development model centred on care and the sustainability of life (ECLAC, 2022). These crises present an opportunity to design bold policies and to transition to a care society that prioritizes people and the planet (ECLAC, 2022). In the Buenos Aires Commitment, adopted at the fifteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, the member States of the Economic Commission for Latin America a…

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 3

Educating the future workforce

Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe 2023 = Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2023

En el Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe de la CEPAL se presenta un conjunto de estadísticas básicas que caracterizan la situación económica, sociodemográfica y ambiental de la región referidas a un período en particular. Esta información forma parte del conjunto de estadísticas disponibles en CEPALSTAT, el portal de bases de datos y publicaciones estadísticas de la CEPAL [en línea]. La presente edición del Anuario contiene datos que se encontraban disponibles hasta mediados de diciembre de 2023. El Anuario consta de tres capítulos. El primero, en que se presentan los indicadore…

Population, Development and Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: draft second regional report on the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development

Ten years on from adoption of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, this draft second regional report outlines progress on application of its priority measures in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2018 to the present, considering the specific characteristics of each country and the varying levels of implementation. By collating, systemizing and analysing a wide range of national information and experiences, and thus drawing conclusions and making recommendations that can be applied to the region, this document facilitates sharing of good practices among the countries. The …

Report of the Twenty-First Meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee

Population and development in the Caribbean (2018–2023): accelerating implementation of the Montevideo Consensus

This study reports on progress made in the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development in the Caribbean subregion over the period 2018–2023. It begins by presenting an analysis of demographic trends in the Caribbean before addressing each of the thematic sections of the Montevideo Consensus, reviewing policies and programmes implemented by governments and civil society organizations, assessing the impact of those actions, and making recommendations to accelerate implementation of the Consensus. The study discusses projected population declines, population ageing an…

Regionale Overeenkomst inzake Toegang tot Informatie, Publieke Participatie en Rechtvaardigheid in Milieuaangelegenheden in Latijns-Amerika en het Caribisch gebied

Op 4 maart 2018 heeft de Latijns-Amerikaanse en Caribische regio geschiedenis geschreven toen zij in Escazú, Costa Rica, de Regionale Overeenkomst inzake Toegang tot Informatie, Publieke Participatie en Rechtvaardigheid in Milieuaangelegenheden in Latijns-Amerika en het Caribisch gebied aannam. De Regionale Overeenkomst, geïnitieerd op de Conferentie van de Verenigde Naties inzake Duurzame Ontwikkeling (Rio+20) en geworteld in de beginselen van Principe 10 van de Verklaring van Rio inzake Milieu en Ontwikkeling van 1992, is de vrucht van een twee jaar durende voorbereidende fase en negen inten…

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 2

Framework legislation on climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean. Legislative Bulletin

Climate change is a key issue on the parliamentary agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, and its proper management can boost economic development and foster social inclusion in the region. Legislators belonging to the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC) therefore requested their parliamentary teams, under the supervision of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) office in Brasilia, to prepare this document, which analyses the framework legislation on climate change in eight countries, selected according to criteria of diversi…

Latin American and Caribbean ports and climate risk: impacts on their infrastructure and possible adaptation measures

This FAL Bulletin is part of the reflections of ECLAC on infrastructure and connectivity. This edition examines some adaptation options for port infrastructure in response to the challenges connected with climate change and resilience to natural disasters. The document outlines some of the main potential climate hazards, risk areas and economic impacts on the region’s logistics and port infrastructure. It puts forward a methodology for impact analysis and assessment, the application of which in Latin American and Caribbean countries could bring many benefits. As examples, two case studies are …