Report of the Third Forum on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Third Forum on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Basseterre from 7 to 10 April 2025. The Forum was convened by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as the Secretariat for the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement), in partnership with the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office…

Responding to sargassum influxes through integrative and adaptive natural resource management approaches in Caribbean SIDS: an exploratory framework

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face significant environmental, economic, and social challenges due to the impacts of the massive influxes of Sargassum seaweed (henceforth, Sargassum ). Conventional reactive interventions have demonstrated limited efficacy in addressing the recurrent proliferation of Sargassum blooms. These impacts are attributable to the immense scale and volumetric magnitude of these events, alongside their considerable spatiotemporal variabilities across the Caribbean sub-region. Furthermore, the absence of robust, harmonized management framework…

Implementation Of The 2024 Programme Of Work Subprogramme 12: Subregional Activities In The Caribbean

Provisional agenda. Twenty-second meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee

Annotated Provisional agenda. Twenty-second meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee

Housing and urban development as drivers of social inclusion and climate action in Latin America and the Caribbean: remarks delivered at the thirty-third General Assembly of the Forum of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Housing and Urban...

The Forum of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Housing and Urban Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI) is the region’s main intergovernmental coordinating body in the areas of housing, human settlements, and sustainable urban development. Its General Assemblies serve as key platforms for political dialogue, the exchange of experiences, and the development of a shared vision among member countries, in collaboration with international organizations, development banks, academia, and civil society. The XXXIII General Assembly of MINURVI was held on December 12 and 13, 20…

The economics of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025: climate action to overcome development traps

The manifestations of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, and their negative effects are already being felt. The Latin American and Caribbean region is no exception and, in fact, is one of the most vulnerable regions of the world. Droughts, forest fires and powerful storms are intensifying and becoming more frequent. This is unfolding in a context in which the region is facing a number of development traps that could jeopardize the progress it has made thus far and limit the countries’ ability to overcome the challenges of improving their population’s well-being on a sustainable …

Overview of carbon pricing policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025: an analysis of their effectiveness and guidelines for implementation

This document presents an overview of carbon pricing policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It focuses on the characteristics of carbon pricing instruments, both explicit, such as carbon taxes and emissions trading systems, and implicit, such as fuel taxes, the social price of carbon and the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies. The document also provides an analysis of the effects of related policies (e.g. subsidies and elasticities) on the  effectiveness of carbon pricing, and includes the estimation of an econometric model that measures the effectiveness of carbon pricing in terms of re…

Mapping sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean: sectoral and energy transition insights from sustainable bonds, 2014–2024

This study examines the role of green, social, sustainable, and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bonds in financing the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It combines a descriptive assessment of sectoral bond issuance patterns from 2014 to 2024 with an econometric exercise focusing on the region’s top five issuers. The results indicate that GSSS bonds have contributed to the expansion of renewable energy capacity but have not yet produced a structural shift in the overall energy mix. These findings underscore both the opportunities and limitations of sustainable finance, h…

Report of the activities carried out by the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES), 2024-2025

Enhancing data for development: policy imperatives for tracking the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean. Policy Brief

For small island developing States (SIDS), sustainable development is a delicate balance of pursuing economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship in the context of economic volatility, social challenges, climate change threats and global uncertainties while striving to build resilience. Recognized as a special case for development since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, SIDS remain highly vulnerable to external shocks due to their small economies, limited connectivity and reliance on external markets. Over the years, global frameworks such …

The impact of climate change on child and youth poverty in Latin America

Climate change is transforming the way we live and redefining the future of childhood. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, children and young peopleⁱ face unprecedented risks that threaten their present and future opportunities. Climate change affects them disproportionately, as they are physically and physiologically more vulnerable to withstand and survive extreme weather conditions such as floods, droughts, storms and heat waves. This vulnerability is also due to their high economic dependence, the prevalence of poverty and the lack of access to essential services for their developm…

Report of the Eighth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

Strengthening the artificial intelligence readiness of the Caribbean. Policy Brief

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, when applied well, could help in addressing key global challenges and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, these potential benefits will not materialize automatically. The use of AI also carries significant risks, such as disruption to job markets and economies, loss of cultural diversity, new AI-enabled digital weapons that increase misinformation and surveillance, and threats to human rights and democracy. While AI systems could support the achievement of many of the SDGs , they could also impede the achievement of others and increa…

Assessment of the effects and impacts of Hurricane Beryl on Barbados, 2024

Hurricane Beryl was the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season and the earliest-forming category 5 hurricane on record. It impacted Barbados as a category 3 storm while passing approximately 150 km south of the island, generating large swells and waves that affected the island’s south and west coasts. While the storm caused only moderate damage to basic infrastructure and did not trigger a humanitarian crisis, it caused substantial damage to coastal assets. The storm’s overall effects were estimated at 193 million Barbados dollars, equivalent to 0.15% of the country’s GDP. Damage ac…

National economic development plans and their contributions to climate goals under the Paris Agreement

Countries often count greater growth, economic development and the fight against poverty and inequality among their priorities, but they also face global challenges related to climate action and the Paris Agreement. In this regard, economic development plans should be aligned with emissions reduction and climate resilience objectives. This report presents an analysis of the extent to which elements of Paris Agreement climate commitments (focusing on nationally determined contributions) are represented in selected national green economic development plans of Group of 20 economies. Ultimately, t…

The Hummingbird Vol. 12 No. 7

The Hummingbird Vol. 12 No. 6

Summary of the Chair. Eighth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

The Hummingbird Vol. 12 No. 5