Paraguay: connectivity indicators and social development

In 2020, Paraguay’s National Connectivity Report was prepared as part of the United Nations Development Account project “Sustainable transport connectivity and implementation of transport-related SDGs in selected landlocked and transit/bridging countries”. The report contains 161 indicators that assess rail, road, and inland waterway transport in Paraguay, concerning areas such as the regulatory and administrative framework for border crossings, quality of transport infrastructure, quality of regulations on transport of dangerous goods and perishable foodstuffs, and efforts to reduce emissions…

Digital Trade Regulatory Review for Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean

Economic integration and effective engagement in digital trade have been identified as key priorities in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for accelerating recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and as engines of sustainable development. Digitalization increases the number of businesses and consumers accessible globally, helps diffuse ideas and knowledge, and raises productivity and consumer welfare. It also enables new business models and practices, bringing both opportunities and challenges. As Governments take steps to regulate the digital economy, the challenges are da…

International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2023. Structural change and trends in global and regional trade: challenges and opportunities

This edition of the International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean analyses the complex conditions facing the region’s trade in 2023, marked by weak global demand, falling commodity prices and the growing interconnections between trade and geopolitics. It also gives an overview of trade relations with China in recent decades: although this trade has expanded significantly, it remains characterized by the exchange of raw materials for manufactures. Lastly, the report examines the progress made and challenges faced by the region in the area of trade facilitation. It concludes th…

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…

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.…

Digital and sustainable trade facilitation in Latin America and the Caribbean: regional report 2023

This report presents the results for Latin America and the Caribbean of the fifth United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation, conducted in the first half of 2023 with the participation of 163 countries (26 from the region). The average regional implementation rate across the 31 core measures is 71%, slightly above the average for all participant countries (69%). Despite being severely hit by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the countries of the region have continued to advance in the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Tra…

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 8

Strengthening road traffic enforcement in the State of Pará, Brazil: a successful road safety project

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly issued resolution 72/271 “Improving global road safety”, which established the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), with a view to joining forces and consolidating action to achieve safe mobility targets. The fund aims to finance high-impact projects to increase road safety, with the ultimate goal of mitigating and, ideally, eliminating road traffic injuries. To achieve its objective, the Fund conducts a meticulous selection process that prioritizes broad participation by actors including government, civil society and the private sector, always …

Addressing Key Challenges to Sustainable Growth and Development in the Caribbean

State-of-the-art in international development cooperation, with a focus on South-South and triangular cooperation: analytical study of knowledge accrued, 2013–2022

This publication analyses the state-of-the-art in international development cooperation, with a focus on South-South and triangular cooperation, based on a bibliographic and documentary review of more than 80 publications published between 2013 and 2022. The contents are organized under four headings: (i) development in transition as a foundation, (ii) multi-stakeholder environment: identification of key stakeholders, (iii) challenges and priorities in South-South and triangular cooperation, and (iv) towards the reconfiguration of South-South and triangular cooperation as a development tool: a…

The miniaturization of containerized commodities

The miniaturization of commodities can have an impact on international merchandise trade by affecting supply chains and transportation, which must adapt to their shrinking size. In the specific case of containerized goods, the number of containers transported by ships and handled by port terminals is expected to decrease, since a greater number of items will fit into each container at a given freight value. To test this hypothesis, a preliminary exercise was carried out on the containerized imports of the United States from its main trading partners for the period 2003–2021 to determine which …

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 4

CEPAL Review No. 139

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

International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2022: the challenge of boosting manufacturing exports

In its 2022 edition, this ECLAC annual report examines the foreign trade performance of the region’s economies during the year. It consists of three chapters. The first examines recent developments in global and regional trade amid the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, record-high inflation rates, the global economic slowdown, geopolitical tensions and the difficulties faced by China in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapter II presents an overview of the region’s foreign trade in manufactures in the past three decades, with particular emphasis on its export performance. …

Caribbean Outlook 3: Economic recovery and repositioning in the era of COVID-19. Policy Brief

The economies of the subregion were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those dependent on tourism. As a result, the Caribbean has seen a reversal of the hard-won gains achieved in growing their economies and reducing unemployment and inequality. The inflation stemming from pandemic supply chain disruption, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made the sustained uptick in economic performance beyond pre-pandemic levels unlikely, notwithstanding strong growth estimates for 2021 and 2022. The last two years have taught the region that continued ‘business as usual’ is…

Bilateral modern services trade between India and Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

The Information Technology enabled Services sector (also referred to as modern services) has been one of the fastest growing segments of India’s exports to and foreign direct investment in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) over the past decade. This sector also showed significant resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many Indian firms were able to reinforce their digital transformation, which strengthened their growth and export potential. India’s main comparative and competitive advantages are its large educated workforce, a developed Information and communication technologies (ICT)…

The Latin American regulatory environment for digital trade

The volume of trade in digitally enabled services in Latin America and the Caribbean is determined, in part, by the complexity and heterogeneity of the regulatory environment in home and destination markets, according to firm-level surveys conducted in the region. This report analyses the regulation of digitally enabled and computer services in 13 Latin American countries using the Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (DSTRI) and the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index for computer services (CSSTRI) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The re…

The payment landscape of B2C e-commerce marketplaces in Latin America and the Caribbean

This paper studies the digital payments landscape of B2C e-commerce marketplaces in Latin America and the Caribbean. It presents the main characteristics of different digital payment methods, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. It also examines how digital payments contribute to financial inclusion and it describes the global and regional trends and prospects. It presents the main findings of an exhaustive analysis of payment methods accepted by more than 550 transactional marketplaces in 33 countries in LAC. It also examines the main obstacles to development of digital payments in …

Potential trade implications of Latin America and the Caribbean’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement

This paper investigates Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and their potential implications for the region’s balance of payments. The first section summarizes prevailing trade dynamics, finding that in LAC, exports of raw materials help to cover the cost of importing capital goods. The second section turns to the region’s NDCs to identify policies affecting import expenditure. The third section employs a similar methodology on the export side, tallying policies affecting output and global cost competitiveness in key sectors (crops, livestock, timber,…