Caribbean Outlook 3: Economic recovery and repositioning in the era of COVID-19. Policy Brief

The economies of the subregion were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those dependent on tourism. As a result, the Caribbean has seen a reversal of the hard-won gains achieved in growing their economies and reducing unemployment and inequality. The inflation stemming from pandemic supply chain disruption, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made the sustained uptick in economic performance beyond pre-pandemic levels unlikely, notwithstanding strong growth estimates for 2021 and 2022. The last two years have taught the region that continued ‘business as usual’ is…

Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean 2021–2022

This overview examines the economic performance of economies of the Caribbean in 2021 and comprises four chapters. The first chapter provides a comparative analysis across Caribbean economies of the main macroeconomic variables, namely GDP growth, monetary indicators, as well as fiscal and external accounts. The second chapter concludes, while the annex includes individual country briefs that give an overview of the economic situation for the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and a subregional assessment of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currenc…

En 2023 el crecimiento será más lento en América Latina y el Caribe: así es como se puede revertir el ciclo

(publicado originalmente en el sitio web del Foro Económico Mundial-WEF el 19 de enero de 2023) Se estima que el crecimiento medio de los países de América Latina y el Caribe será del 1,3% en 2023, reflejando una trampa estructural de bajo crecimiento, elevada desigualdad, instituciones débiles y mala gobernanza, combinada con unas condiciones internacionales adversas. Los gobiernos de la región enfrentan dificultades para promover la creación de empleo, mantener el gasto y las transferencias sociales e invertir en educación. La región se enfrenta al riesgo de episodios de agitación social…

Report of the twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Deuda pública y restricciones para el desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe

El carácter desfavorable de las condiciones macrofinancieras mundiales ha suscitado preocupación por la sostenibilidad de la deuda pública en las economías en desarrollo, como las de América Latina y el Caribe. Esas condiciones adversas amenazan con debilitar aún más el crecimiento económico de la región. La deuda pública de esta ha alcanzado niveles que no se veían desde hace dos decenios: en 2020 hubo un aumento pronunciado que culminó la subida progresiva que se venía observando en la década anterior. La historia sugiere que en los países pueden surgir dificultades de desarrollo cuando coin…

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…

The Role of Data for SDG Advancement in the Caribbean

Artificial Intelligence for Caribbean Sustainable Development