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

Challenges in implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for further implementation of the Small Islands Developing States Programme of Action (MSI) in the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for nearly a fifth of U.S. foreign trade during the first six months of 2023

Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 22% of U.S. foreign trade in the first half of 2023, according to the recent document United States – Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments 2023 published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).…

The potential of Aid for Trade to improve the infrastructure and logistics performance of landlocked developing countries of Latin America

America is one of the priority areas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations and, in particular, of ECLAC Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division (NRID). Prepared as a contribution to the United Nations Development Account Project: “Facilitating the Effective Integration of Developing Countries in the Global Economy through Aid for Trade Schemes”, ROA 139-7, the present document presents the main activities, carried out by NRID for the benefit of the landlocked developing countries since the adoption of the Almaty Programme of Action: …

Regional integration and public policy. Evaluation of the European experience and possible implications for Latin American integration

The United States-Central American Free Trade Agreement: fiscal implications for the Central American countries

In this paper we estimate the fiscal implications of the free trade agreement signed between the United States of America and the five Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Of the five possible effects on fiscal revenue (direct, indirect, elasticity, substitution and induced), in this paper we estimate the first three. The fourth effect is most likely negligible, whereas the estimation of the fifth one would be plagued by uncertainty, so we do not attempt it here. We use comparative statics to estimate the impact. We find the adverse …

Issues, effects and implications of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Agreement for CARICOM economies

The objective of this document is to analyse some of the main issues, effects and implications of the FTAA for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) economies. It also considers when relevant and for comparison purposes the cases of non-independent States. The document is divided into seven sections. Following the introduction, the second section describes, albeit briefly, the main issues that are found in the Free Trade Areas literature. The third section introduces the FTAA participants highlighting their economic and social disparities. The fourth section centers on the FTAA underlying principles …

Report to the CDCC: Review of ECLAC/CDCC Programme of Activities for the 2002-2003 Biennium

Incorporation of special and differential treatment in international trade agreements and the implications for Caribbean economies

The provision for special and differential treatment favoring developing economies in multilateral trade agreements recognizes that countries compete on an unequal footing. Special and differential treatment can be traced to early development theories and to the reports of the preparatory committee for the formation of the International Trade Organization (ITO). The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1947) addressed developing countries' needs for an asymmetrical treatment in international trade relations. Later on, the incorporation of Annex IV to the GATT (1964) p…

Proposals for the liberalization of trade and investment in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS)

Summary Presents an overview of the status of trade liberalization in the countries of the ACS and concludes that most countries have implemented substantial trade and investment reforms which have resulted in more liberalized trading regimes and a more welcoming environment for foreign investment. Obstacles to trade and investment are examined and recommendations made in respect of the ACS Secretariat. , 19970324 , Len Ishmael , Publications 1997 Port of Spain …

Opportunities for convergence and regional cooperation: Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean

En comparación con el período 2003-2007, que fue el más favorable de la economía mundial y regional en 40 años, el futuro presenta mayores desafíos. A principios de la próxima década, tanto la economía como el comercio internacional serán menos dinámicos, habrá mayores tensiones competitivas y presiones proteccionistas, así como más dificultades de acceso al financiamiento. El contexto global posterior a la crisis estará marcado por la desaceleración del crecimiento, las elevadas tasas de desempleo en las economías industrializadas y la necesidad de restaurar la sostenibilidad de las cuentas p…

Central American Isthmus: economic evolution during 2005 and perspectives for 2006 (final evaluation)

1. Rasgos generales de la evolución reciente La actividad económica en el Istmo Centroamericano registró en 2005 una expansión igual a la del año anterior (4%), apenas por debajo del promedio de América Latina y el Caribe (4,3%). Excluyendo a Panamá, la tasa de crecimiento se elevó de 3,3% a 3,6%. También fue notable una menor dispersión de las tasas alrededor del promedio. Todos los países se hallan en la fase expansiva del ciclo económico, ya que se cumplieron tres años de incremento del producto interno bruto (PIB) por habitante, después del retroceso ocurrido en el bienio 2001-2002. Si …

Comprehensive Development Plan for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and south-southeast Mexico, vol. 1

El Plan de Desarrollo Integral tiene el propósito de crear un espacio de desarrollo sostenible y generar oportunidades para mejorar la calidad de vida de la población de El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y el sur-sureste de México, y así permitir que la migración sea una opción y no una obligación. Esta es una respuesta articulada del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, que busca generar sinergias y coordinar acciones, con los países en el centro, y con el acompañamiento de las instituciones de integración subregional.…

Comprehensive Development Plan for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and south-southeast Mexico, vol. 2

El Plan de Desarrollo Integral tiene el propósito de crear un espacio de desarrollo sostenible y generar oportunidades para mejorar la calidad de vida de la población de El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y el sur-sureste de México, y así permitir que la migración sea una opción y no una obligación. Esta es una respuesta articulada del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, que busca generar sinergias y coordinar acciones, con los países en el centro, y con el acompañamiento de las instituciones de integración subregional.…

Global value chains and world trade: Prospects and challenges for Latin America

Scant empirical evidence is available on how the Latin American and Caribbean region participates in global value chains (GVCs) and what drives this process. Frequent questions in this connection are: How has the spread of information and communications technologies and free trade agreements facilitated the region’s participation in GVCs? To what extent do small firms participate in GVCs? What learning mechanisms and production and technological feedbacks operate in different types of GVCs? How can countries and firms take advantage of upgrading processes in GVCs? What role do policies play to…

Modeling regional macroeconomic interactions: situation and perspectives for macroeconomic coordination in Latin America. Background paper prepared for the REDIMA workshop on Modeling Macroeconomic Coordination in the Andean Community, (Santiago, Chile...

Hubert Escaith is Director of Statistics and Economic Projections Division, ECLAC. The views expressed in this document, which has been reproduced without formal editing, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Organization.. This paper was prepared for the REDIMA workshop on Modeling Macroeconomic Coordination in the Andean Community, Santiago, Chile 22 October 2003. Introduction The early 1990s opened a new era for the analysis of economic interactions between Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Two channels, real and financial, conveyed th…

Primer Foro de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC) y China: explorando espacios de cooperación en comercio e inversión

El presente documento constituye un aporte de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) al primer Foro de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC) y China, (Beijing, 8 y 9 de enero de 2015). El documento se compone de tres partes. En la primera parte se sintetizan los principales elementos del contexto económico internacional en que se inserta hoy América Latina y el Caribe. En la segunda, se presenta un breve panorama de las relaciones comerciales y de inversión entre la región y China. Finalmente, en la tercera parte se ofrecen algunas conclusiones y r…

The Regional Coordination Mechanism for the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy

Observatory of customs controls for United States imports: technical standards

Global antidumping activity peaked in 2001, with 366 petitions initiated world-wide, and rapidly diminished to just 163 cases in 2007. With the onset of the current major world-wide recession some observers feared that antidumping usage would climb dramatically; however while antidumping activity was up by 28% in 2008 (to 208 cases initiated, according to WTO statistics), the rise was not nearly commensurate with the financial distress, and new antidumping initiations for the first three quarters of 2009 -at 154 cases- are on pace to show little change for the full year compared to the previou…

Evaluating South-South cooperation in six Latin American and Caribbean countries: Shared challenges for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

En un mundo cada vez más incierto, la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible es un punto de referencia y una hoja de ruta, y la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular se ha vuelto cada vez más relevante para movilizar recursos adicionales para su implementación, incrementar las capacidades de cooperación y brindar soluciones flexibles a los retos del desarrollo. En el documento final de la Segunda Conferencia de Alto Nivel de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Cooperación Sur-Sur se invitó a los países en desarrollo interesados a que participaran en las consultas que se celebrasen en el marco de las co…