Presenting the new Regional Action Plan for 2008 - 2010

Implications of the Liberalization of Telecommunications for the Caribbean

Institutional requirements for market-led development in Latin America

Abstract This paper seeks to provide a systematized framework for the main ideas that have been developed by ECLAC concerning the effects that market-led reforms have had on labour, financial and technology markets. In order to explore these questions further, a research project has been undertaken by ECLAC with the sponsorship of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The project deals with the institutional requirements for properly functioning financial, technology and labour markets. Particular attention is being devoted to the institutional forces affecting market access by tr…

The Latin American regulatory environment for digital trade

The volume of trade in digitally enabled services in Latin America and the Caribbean is determined, in part, by the complexity and heterogeneity of the regulatory environment in home and destination markets, according to firm-level surveys conducted in the region. This report analyses the regulation of digitally enabled and computer services in 13 Latin American countries using the Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (DSTRI) and the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index for computer services (CSSTRI) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The re…

Public policies for the information society: a shared vision?

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in terms of access to mobile telephony and Internet services, the incorporation of computers into everyday activities and the development of electronic services and applications, took Latin American societies and governments by surprise, as their sudden proliferation in the second half of the 1990s called for a new public policy focus when areas traditionally considered as development priorities had not yet been fully addressed. Although the countries of the region acknowledged ICTs as a means for economic and social d…

Information and communications technology for people with disabilities

Views and thinking regarding the application of computer technology for development in the ECLA region: draft for discussion

Technologies for adapting to climate change: A case study of Korean cities and implications for Latin American cities

This document presents the climate adaptation technologies applied in cities in the Republic of Korea and their implications for Latin American cities. This case study sets forth the implications to be considered when Latin American cities use technologies as part of efforts to adapt to climate change. Firstly, national and local institutional environments need to be reformed by aligning them with national and regional climate-related policies as well as international initiatives. Secondly, since cities are where adaptation challenges must be faced, support for local governments needs to be en…

Innovation and technology policy (ITP) for catching up: a three phase life cycle framework for industrializing economies

This paper outlines a dynamic, medium/long term Innovation and Technology Policy framework for industrializing economies directed to simulate innovation and to contribute to the eventual creation of high impact innovative entrepreneurial clusters. The paper is predicated on the assumption that while cluster creation policies are possible in many contexts they requires adoption of a System Evolutionary (S/E) perspective to Innovation and Technology Policy. Given the current 'entrepreneurial phase' of the ICT Revolution, support of 'Innovative SMEs' should be one of the axes …

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 …

Toward AI Policies for the Caribbean

Artificial Intelligence offers extraordinary opportunities for accelerating human progress across a range of fields from healthcare and education, to combating climate change and disasters. However, if left unregulated, AI could exacerbate inequalities, undermine human rights and threaten peace.…

Artificial Intelligence for Caribbean Sustainable Development

Caribbean Technology Partnerships for the SDGs

Follow-up mechanism for the digital agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC2020) for the period 2018-2020. Note by the Secretariat

AI Governance for the Caribbean

This year, 2023, has seen the advent of increasingly powerful Artificial Intelligence systems becoming available to the public, and greater global discourse around the safety and accuracy of these systems. Caribbean countries are actively engaging with the question of how AI systems should be governed to ensure that this powerful technology is used safely, responsibly and ethically, with a focus on accountability, minimizing risks and maximizing benefits.…

ICT for people with disabilities

Briefing note by ECLAC Caribbean Chief, Diane Quarless…

ICT for growth and equality: renewing strategies for the information society. Summary

In this new phase of post-financial-crisis economic recovery, the countries of the region are meeting considerable challenges and opportunities involving the information society, an economic and social system in which knowledge and information are vital sources of wellbeing and progress. It has been said that the countries of the region will be able to achieve greater and better growth only if they renew their strategies for development with equality and lay a sounder foundation for growth and greater social inclusion in a new technological era based on information and communications technolog…

Orientations for the future

Knowledge Management for Development: Towards a Practical Approach for the Caribbean

This report proposes a framework for locating, collecting, creating, sharing and applying information and knowledge (from within and outside the subregion) for development purposes in the Caribbean subregion. The framework emphasizes the importance of protecting and tapping into the rich cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of the Caribbean to support its development. This knowledge management for development framework, advanced by ECLAC, is proposed for consideration in the design and implementation of both national policies and strategies, and communitylevel projects to support the ac…

Intergenerational relations: creating a world for all ages so that no one is left behind

This paper, prepared jointly by the five regional commissions of the United Nations, explores the social and economic challenges and opportunities of demographic shifts towards multigenerational societies across the countries covered by the five regional commissions. It discusses the latest evidence on demographic trends and intergenerational relations, labour markets, social protection, care, living arrangements and digitalization across regions, and it provides recommendations to build societies for all ages. With a strong interdisciplinary and interregional focus, the paper addresses interg…