Latin American Economic Outlook 2023: Investing in Sustainable Development

Latin America and the Caribbean needs an ambitious and comprehensive investment agenda to embark on a stronger and more sustainable development trajectory. The 16th edition of the Latin American Economic Outlook proposes ways to make this possible through co-ordinated actions by policy makers, the private sector and international partners. It argues that to close existing investment gaps and overcome the region’s structural challenges, it is essential to scale up domestic and foreign investment. These investments should be a catalyst for better quality jobs and an upgraded production structure…

Toward AI Policies for the Caribbean

Artificial Intelligence offers extraordinary opportunities for accelerating human progress across a range of fields from healthcare and education, to combating climate change and disasters. However, if left unregulated, AI could exacerbate inequalities, undermine human rights and threaten peace.…

AI Governance for the Caribbean

This year, 2023, has seen the advent of increasingly powerful Artificial Intelligence systems becoming available to the public, and greater global discourse around the safety and accuracy of these systems. Caribbean countries are actively engaging with the question of how AI systems should be governed to ensure that this powerful technology is used safely, responsibly and ethically, with a focus on accountability, minimizing risks and maximizing benefits.…

“It’s messy, but we have to do it now” – Craig Ramlal, UN advisor, on AI regulation

Few technological advances created more global buzz in 2023 than artificial intelligence: One tool captured global attention by generating text in different formats based on simple prompts; another created new covers of recent songs by singers who passed away decades ago; and others created full works of art in distinct styles based on user descriptions.…

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 12

Introduction: Special issue commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and reflecting on the present and the future of the region

Director’s Desk: Artificial Intelligence for Caribbean sustainable development

2023 saw Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools becoming widely available to the general public, leading to the generation of new works of art, songs, text, and computer code. This explosion in new outputs has led to much excitement around AI’s potential, but also brought to the forefront concerns about countries and communities being left behind, and the technology’s potential to harm individuals and societies. This issue of FOCUS magazine discusses the potential impact of AI on the Caribbean, and avenues to develop tailored AI policies, governance systems, and to engage with AI issues at the int…

Environment and sustainable development: contemporary challenges for ECLAC and Latin America and the Caribbean

Environmental sustainability is a key determinant of the viability of development. Latin America and the Caribbean is imitating a global pattern of unsustainable consumption and production, whose consequences, including environmental degradation, biodiversity and ecosystem loss, and climate disruption, affect the population’s standard of living and limit its potential for growth. This paper presents stylized facts concerning the region’s development model and the way in which sustainability has been addressed in ECLAC thinking, also briefly examining other economic schools of thought. It concl…

The economics of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2023: financing needs and policy tools for the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies

Climate change is increasingly evident and is having damaging repercussions. Latin America and the Caribbean is no exception, and is in fact one of the most vulnerable regions, with droughts, forest fires and extreme storms increasing in frequency and intensity. This is occurring amid the backdrop of low growth in the region, reflected in a decade of stagnation, that jeopardizes the progress made in terms of development and, above all, limits the countries’ ability to improve the well-being of their populations in a sustainable manner. At this crossroads, climate action offers an opportunity t…

Transforming habitats and cities: towards urban development in Latin America and the Caribbean

This document is based on the statements and presentations delivered at the thirty-first General Assembly of the Forum of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Housing and Urbanism in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), held on 5 and 6 December 2022 at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago. At the meeting, authorities, leaders and experts in housing and urban planning met with the aim of positioning habitat and housing as pillars for achieving sustainable urban development in the region and for working towards cities that are more just, inclusive and resilient. The General Assembly explored …

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 11

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 10

Financing for climate change mitigation in cities: statements made at the 2023 Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of Ministers and High-level Authorities on Housing and Urbanism in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI)

This document is based on the contributions and presentations of the ministerial meeting of the Forum of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), organised by the Ministry of Territorial Development and Habitat of Argentina, which assumed the presidency of the Forum for the 2023 period. The meeting was held on 10 and 11 April 2023 at the Kirchner Cultural Centre, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires 28 member states attended the meeting along with representatives from ECLAC in its role as Technical Secretariat of MINURVI. Duri…

The Circularity Gap Report: Latin America and the Caribbean

This analysis is carried out jointly by several organizations within the framework of the Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim of this analysis is to provide data-driven insights into material flows to measure the region's circularity, while highlighting data gaps, to contribute to the circular economy debate and inform decision-making across the region. regional level.…

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

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals: Halfway to 2030. Goals, targets and indicators

In recent years, the world has been hit by a series of crises that pose additional challenges to sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, gaps in access to health, employment and education, food insecurity, persistent inequality and poverty, forced migration and the rising cost of living make it difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a region which, even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, was already suffering from slow economic growth and stagnation —or even decline— in its social deve…

Addressing Water Security in the Caribbean

Final assessment report. Assessment of the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) project: Speed management in Latin America: the case of Argentina

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 8