Economic implications of the ban on single-use plastics in the Caribbean: A case study of Trinidad and Tobago

Over the past 50 years, the global annual production of plastics has increased dramatically, from 15 million tons in 1964 to roughly 311 million tons by 2014. This spectacular growth has occurred due to its unrivalled physical properties, which allow it to be widely applied in diverse economic production processes, at low cost. One of its main appplications has been in the packaging industry where roughly 26% of the global volume of plastics is used. More importantly, as much as 95% of plastic packaging – estimated at USD 80 – 120 billion annually - is for single-use, either as packaging or as…

Green fiscal policies: An armoury of instruments to recover growth sustainably

The present study seeks to explore how fiscal policies can employed to deliver both socioeconomic and environmental dividends with a focus on Brazil as a case study. In the current context where the global economy in general and Brazil’s economy in particular are struggling to reinvigorate, whereas disregarding environmental concerns is a hazard for long-term economic development itself, the focus is thus on reviewing the recent literature that seeks to reconcile a stronger economic and social performance based on fiscal instruments that foster sustainable investments. An overview of the theor…

Discurso de cierre del trigésimo octavo período de sesiones de la CEPAL

Discurso de cierre del trigésimo octavo período de sesiones de la CEPAL Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la CEPAL Santiago, 28 de octubre de 2020 Querido Rodolfo Solano Quirós, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto de Costa Rica, Dear Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary General, thank you for being with us today, Esteemed Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations and Chair of the Group of 77 and China, Distinguidos Cancilleres, Viceministros y delegados de los Estados miembros de la CEPAL, Señoras y señores miembros del Cuerpo D…

Instan a fomentar una minería responsable que contribuya a una recuperación resiliente e inclusiva post COVID-19

Expertos de la región discutieron sobre la importancia de incorporar un enfoque de derechos humanos en la evaluación de impacto ambiental de proyectos mineros durante un diálogo virtual organizado en el marco del V Foro Regional sobre Empresas y Derechos Humanos para América Latina y el Caribe 2020 (que se realiza del 7 al 11 de septiembre de 2020). El evento “Minería responsable, derechos humanos y sostenibilidad” fue inaugurado por Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL); Augusto Jordán Rodas, Presidente de la Federación Iberoame…

CEPAL llama a avanzar hacia un Gran Impulso para la Sostenibilidad como estrategia de salida de la actual crisis

La crisis provocada por la pandemia del coronavirus es una oportunidad para avanzar hacia un Gran Impulso para la Sostenibilidad que permita un nuevo modelo de desarrollo basado en la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible, indicó hoy Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), durante un seminario virtual de alto nivel organizado conjuntamente con el Senado Federal de Brasil. El seminario online (webinar) “Propuestas Globales para una Recuperación Sostenible” (Global Proposals for a Sustainable Recovery) fue coordinado por el Senad…

La desigualdad y el bajo crecimiento se asocian y conspiran contra el desarrollo, la innovación, la inclusión y la productividad: Alicia Bárcena

La desigualdad y el bajo crecimiento se asocian y conspiran contra el desarrollo, la innovación, la inclusión y la productividad, afirmó hoy Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), en una intervención en el Foro Económico Mundial (WEF, por sus siglas en inglés) que se celebra hasta el viernes 24 en la ciudad suiza de Davos. La alta funcionaria de las Naciones Unidas participó el martes 21 como moderadora en el panel Strategic Outlook: Latin America (Perspectiva Estratégica: América Latina), que abordó las presiones internas que enf…

Synthesis of the Caribbean subregion midterm review report of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway

The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway (hereafter referred to as the SAMOA Pathway) was adopted in 2014 at the United Nations Third International Conference on SIDS. The SAMOA Pathway builds on the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for SIDS (BPOA) and the 2005 Mauritius Strategy of Implementation (MSI) for the Further Implementation of the BPOA. This document is a synthesis on the Caribbean Region- SAMOA Pathway Midterm Review Report prepared by ECLAC and in support of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 72/217.…

Strengthening ICT and knowledge management capacity in support of the sustainable development

This study investigates the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) and knowledge management (KM) are playing in supporting sustainable development across islands in these countries. Focusing on the areas of health, education and governance, the study uses the multi-island countries of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands as case studies to explore inter-island differences in ICT and KM capacity and the scope for strengthening this capacity. It concludes with a series of recommendations for governments of Caribbean multi-island countries w…

Gender mainstreaming in national sustainable development planning in the Caribbean

This study assesses the status of gender mainstreaming in the policy framework of the 29 Caribbean member states and Associate Members of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which are also members of its subsidiary organ for the subregion: the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC). The study defines and explains gender mainstreaming as a factor in national development planning and outlines the regional experiences and trends in mainstreaming gender. It highlights the frameworks and commitments that guide gender mainstreaming in national develop…

High-Level Meeting On Trends, Options And Strategies In Poverty Eradication Across The World

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON TRENDS, OPTIONS AND STRATEGIES IN POVERTY ERADICATION ACROSS THE WORLD 30 June 2020 Statement by Ms. Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Poverty eradication and the quest for fairer, more inclusive societies with higher levels of well-being is at the heart of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the challenges associated with the poverty eradication are structural, multifaceted and persistent. The region is the most unequal in the world in terms of the distr…

Promoting debt sustainability to facilitate financing sustainable development in selected Caribbean countries: A scenario analysis of the ECLAC debt for climate adaptation swap initiative

In light of the high debt burden impacting Caribbean economies ECLAC has been pursuing an initiative designed to reduce the debt burden and advance sustainable development. The strategy has evolved over time and there is now agreement on an approach designed to bring financial resources to the Caribbean for resilience building while still emphasizing the importance of debt reduction. To address resilience and development financing, ECLAC proposes the establishment of a Caribbean Resilience Facility to be housed at a reputable financial institution. Such a facility would be capitalised by donor…

Policy Brief: Planning for resilience: an integrated approach to tackle climate change in the Caribbean

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…

Performance indicators associated with low-carbon energy technologies in Brazil: Evidence for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

Caribbean in Brief: an information document for Caribbean Small Island Developing States

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…

Korean FDI in Latin America and the Caribbean: A partner for sustainable development

This study analyzes foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows from the Republic of Korea to Latin America and the Caribbean in the last two decades to identify how Korean companies are investing in the region and which lessons can be learned from this relationship. The study relies on the analysis of investment flows, greenfield projects, and mergers and acquisitions as well as on interviews with entrepreneurs and authorities and a survey conducted on a small sample of suppliers of the automotive industry in Mexico. The Republic of Korea is a valuable economic partner for countries in Latin Ame…

Overview of energy innovation investments in Brazil: data for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

Creating an enabling environment for e-government and the protection of privacy rights in the Caribbean: A review of data protection legislation for alignment with the General Data Protection Regulation

This study examines the data protection laws of six Caribbean countries with a view to identifying gaps and weaknesses and making targeted recommendations for revision of existing legislation or adoption of new legislation in order to bring it into compliance with regional and international standards, including the GDPR. Due to its extraterritorial scope and influence, the GDPR is prompting the harmonisation of data protection legislation around the world and a number of Caribbean countries aligned with the GDPR across the subregion will not only guarantee individual privacy rights but also he…

La desigualdad es la causa estructural del malestar social en América Latina y el Caribe, afirma Alicia Bárcena en Foro de Davos

La desigualdad es la causa estructural del malestar social en la región. Por ello, necesitamos avanzar de la cultura de los privilegios a la cultura de igualdad y la inclusión social, afirmó Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), en la reunión del Foro Económico Mundial 2020 que culminó hoy en Davos, Suiza. La alta funcionaria de las Naciones Unidas participó durante la semana en diversas sesiones del Foro global, en las que abordó el origen y la persistencia de la desigualdad en los países de la región, así como el impacto…

Temario provisional anotado. Cuarta Reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible

Investing for the future in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean is a large, heterogeneous region that has been open to foreign direct investment (FDI) and is home to two of the top FDI recipient economies in the world: Brazil and Mexico. The trade and investment relationship between the region and the member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) has been concentrated on infrastructure and energy, and to a lesser extent commercial and financial services, agriculture and tourism. Both regions could exploit synergies to benefit more from bilateral …