This brief is intended to provide general information on the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference on scaling up ocean actions based on science and innovation for the
implementation of Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), with a view to stimulating more active, engaged participation of the Caribbean in the discussions. The
United Nations Ocean Conference will be co-chaired by Kenya and Portugal, and hosted by the Government of Portugal in Lisbon, during 2021. The objective of this conference is consistent with the 2017 UN General Assembly proclamation on the Decade of Oce…
En este estudio, se evalúa en qué medida la cobertura boscosa puede reducir el impacto de las lluvias extremas en la actividad económica. Para ello, se construye un panel de datos a partir de observaciones de la tierra provenientes de imágenes satélites. La actividad económica local se mide a través de la intensidad de las luces nocturnas y las lluvias extremas se caracterizan utilizando series de lluvias diarias con alta resolución espacial. Finalmente, se evalúa y cartografía la cobertura boscosa por medio del índice de vegetación mejorado. Los resultados muestran que las lluvias extremas de…
Un desastre puede suponer retrocesos en los avances económicos y sociales logrados por los países a lo largo de las décadas, y sus efectos pueden verse exacerbados en el caso de los grupos más vulnerables. La gravedad del impacto dependerá de la capacidad de los países para detectar y superar sus vulnerabilidades. Este documento, especialmente dirigido a los encargados de la formulación de políticas, pone de manifiesto cómo, a través de la planificación para el desarrollo, pueden sentarse las bases para un abordaje integral, transitando de la gestión de los desastres a la gestión del riesgo de…
The application of technologies, research, development, promotion of innovative approaches and local knowledge to confront complex issues posed by hazards are important components of managing disaster risks and guiding informed decision-making. Hence commitments to support and enhance access to technologies and to foster innovative approaches to risk reduction, preparedness and resilient recovery are essential requirements for the management of current and future disasters in the Caribbean subregion. Considering the importance of Disaster and Risk Management (DRM), the aim of this study is to …
The passage of Hurricane Matthew through The Bahamas in October 2016 marks the second time in just over a year that the country was affected by a Category 4 hurricane. However, unlike 2015’s Hurricane Joaquin, which affected islands having a relatively low population, Hurricane Matthew’s greatest impact was felt on the country’s population centres of New Providence and Grand Bahama, as well as in the district of North Andros. Damage in these areas was caused by high winds and storm surge associated with the hurricane, and was exacerbated by construction practices and the siting of communities …
Hurricane Irma was the ninth named hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Being an Archipelago in the Caribbean, a great portion of The Bahamas infrastructure is in proximity to the coast, making it particularly vulnerable to tropical storms. Irma directly and primarily affected the southern islands of Inagua, Acklins, Ragged Island and Southern Andros, and affected Bimini and Grand Bahama to the north, while it also caused moderate effects across the country.
The effects of hurricane Irma on the population of The Bahamas were moderate. According to the reports prepared by the govern…
In September 2019 , the world watched as the category 5 Hurricane Dorian rained havoc down on The Bahamas islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco and their communities, erasing any evidence of life in some neighborhoods and leaving behind a trail of heartbreak, sorrow and death. The catastrophic damage to livelihoods and billions of dollars of infrastructure on this archipelago present significant challenges to the preparedness of its tourism -dependent economy and its rescue and recovery capacity.
The Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) committed itself to a restoration effort that would be far -r…
Junto con examinar los retos de la política fiscal en el contexto actual de la pandemia y la evolución de las finanzas públicas durante 2019, el Panorama Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe, 2020, analiza la problemática de la evasión fiscal en la región. La CEPAL estima que la región perdió 325.000 millones de dólares –equivalente al 6,1% del PIB– en 2018 por incumplimiento tributario. Frente a este desafío, los países de la región se encuentran desarrollando una serie de acciones e innovaciones para acotar los espacios para la evasión y así impulsar la movilización de recursos internos para…
The Caribbean subregion is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. Vulnerability is a key multidimensional concept at the heart of resilience building, relating to each country’s multiple spatial and socioeconomic risks and conditions. In fact, due to its geographical location and concentration of population and activities in low-lying coastal areas, the Caribbean is the second most hazard-prone region in the world...Moreover, impacts of extreme weather events on Caribbean small economies are of national proportions. For example, in the hurricane s…
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has generated a health, human and economic crisis without precedent in the past century. The region has responded rapidly, adopting packages of fiscal measures of diverse magnitude and scope. In this context, fiscal policy must play a key role in mitigating the human and economic impact in the short term, while also continuing to provide the impulse for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth in a post-COVID-19 world. As well as analysing the fiscal policy challenges of the current crisis, the Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 20…
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) ratified its commitment to supporting Caribbean countries on their path towards a sustainable recovery with greater equality after the crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, during a high-level virtual meeting held with ministers and authorities from more than 10 countries in the subregion.
The 7th Council of Ministers on Environmental Sustainability of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) took place this Wednesday, June 24, under the outgoing presidency of Martinique and the incoming presidency of Saint Luci…
La Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) ratificó su compromiso de apoyar a los países del Caribe en su camino hacia una recuperación sostenible y con mayor igualdad tras la crisis generada por la pandemia del COVID-19, durante una reunión virtual de alto nivel sostenida con ministros y autoridades de más de 10 países de la subregión.
El Séptimo Consejo de Ministros sobre Sostenibilidad Ambiental de la Organización de Estados del Caribe Oriental (OECO) se efectuó este miércoles 24 de junio bajo la presidencia saliente de Martinica y la presidencia entrante de Santa Lucía. …
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affects the activities of the food system (food production, processing, distribution, marketing and consumption) and its outcomes —particularly food security and social well-being. The United Nations Secretary-General has drawn attention to the need for an immediate response to avoid a food crisis. This report, co-edited by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), offers policy recommendations for sustaining demand and administering the food trade during…
Caribbean countries face vulnerabilities that include high exposure to the devastating impact of climate change and natural disasters. At the same time, heavy indebtedness and serious structural and fiscal constraints limit their ability to make adequate investments in climate change adaptation and risk mitigation. As a result, the subregion anticipates with great anxiety the advent of the hurricane season every year which threatens the long-term environmental, economic and social development of Caribbean countries, further compounding their high levels of public debt, limited capacity t…