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…

The use of technology and innovative approaches in disaster and risk management: a characterization of Caribbean countries’ experiences

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 …

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…

Países de la región reafirman su compromiso con el desarrollo sostenible y urgen por una respuesta articulada para contrarrestar los profundos efectos de la pandemia

Los países de América Latina y el Caribe reafirmaron hoy su compromiso con el desarrollo sostenible y urgieron por una respuesta articulada y a todos los niveles para frenar y contrarrestar los profundos efectos que tendrá en la región la pandemia del coronavirus (COVID-19), que no distingue fronteras, ideologías o niveles de desarrollo. Rodrigo Malmierca, Ministro del Comercio Exterior y la Inversión Extranjera de Cuba, en su calidad de presidente del Comité Plenario de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), participó en el segmento “Foros regionales. Mensajes claves”,…

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…

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…

ECLAC contribution to integration in Central America

The proposal for development and integration in Central America put forward by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the basis of its considerable prior experience, is set out and updated in these infographics. The proposal emphasizes the need for a progressive structural change driven across various fronts: the social sector, energy, climate change challenges, infrastructure, fiscal coordination, trade, productive integration and innovation. It focuses on the importance of an environmental big push for equality and sustainability, supported by coordinated publ…

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…

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…

Resolution 738(XXXVIII) ECLAC calendar of conferences for the period 2021–2022

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

Advancing the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

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

ECLAC presents cases of transformative investments for a sustainable economy in Brazil

On May 26th, the ECLAC office in Brasilia, together with the Brazilian Global Compact Network, held a webinar about the Big Push for Sustainability , in which more than 60 case studies of investments for sustainable development in Brazil were presented.…

Resolution 748(XXXVIII) Programme of work and priorities of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for 2022