The millennium development goals and the challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean in making progress towards higher levels of well-being, better human capital and more equal opportunities

This document takes up a number of the points raised in the 2005 report by ECLAC and other UN agencies on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides further discussion on the type of problems and challenges facing the region in five areas that are either included in the MDGs or closely related to them (poverty, hunger and child malnutrition, education, health and children). The document makes recommendations for the region's governments and countries in these five areas.…

Poverty, hunger and food security in Central America and Panama

Food insecurity and hunger are closely associated with extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they should not be confused with it. A diet which is insufficient for leading a normal life and is also inadequate from a nutritional point of view affects not only those living in conditions of extreme poverty but also broader sectors and groups living in particular areas or regions of each country. Among the forms of deprivation affecting those living in a state of extreme poverty, however, the lack of access to food is the most serious problem and that which it is most urgent to er…

Appraisal and conclusions from the 1994-2009 review of the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action in the Caribbean

The countries of English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean have made significant progress in its economic and human development. Most governments have implemented programs and policies of social protection for vulnerable groups of the population, but its sustainability could be jeopardized because of the global financial crisis. In this cyclical factor is compounded by large external debts of these countries, high exposure to natural disasters, limited natural resources, limited economic diversification and some challenges to their institutional capacities. Although short-term policies are needed …

The Caribbean and the post-2015 development agenda

This paper will contend that the post-2015 development agenda presents a major opportunity for Caribbean countries to reverse decades of lagging economic performance and make the transition to balanced, holistic, and people-centred growth and development. The MDGs, while valuable in promoting gains in poverty reduction, health, education, nutrition, and maternal well-being were not tailored to the growth and development needs of the region. This can now be changed by a post-2015 development agenda which goes beyond improving the welfare of citizens by meeting basic needs and enhancing access t…

Analysis of selected millennium development goals in Nicaragua

This study presents an analysis of factors related to selected Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in education, health and water and sanitation in Nicaragua. Using available household survey data, complemented with selected supply side data, empirical econometric models of education enrolment, child mortality and the provision of water and sanitation are employed to examine the relationship of individual, household and municipal factors to the achievement of these MDGs. The MDG formulation also provides for a comparison of two different modelling methodologies, the standard logit estimation f…

What kind of State? what kind of equality?: XI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: Brasilia, 13-16 July 2010

Este documento recoge contribuciones de las ministras y autoridades de los mecanismos para el adelanto de la mujer de América Latina y el Caribe, que definieron su contenido en la cuadragésima tercera reunión de la Mesa Directiva de la Conferencia Regional sobre la Mujer de América Latina y el Caribe (Puerto España, 7 y 8 de julio de 2009), y que enviaron documentos e información para su preparación y enriquecieron su versión final con aportes y debates en dos foros virtuales. En este informe se integran los avances del Observatorio de igualdad de género de América Latina y el Caribe y se da c…

CEPAL aboga por la igualdad como motor de desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe

(8 de mayo, 2015) La igualdad debe ser el motor del crecimiento económico y el desarrollo sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe, planteó Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), en la décima reunión sobre América Latina del Foro Económico Mundial (WEF, según sus siglas en inglés), que finaliza hoy en Cancún, México. La máxima representante de la CEPAL fue una de las expositoras en el panel From Poverty to Prosperity (De la pobreza a la prosperidad) realizado el jueves durante el evento que reúne a más de 750 líderes de gobierno, …

Comisiones regionales de las Naciones Unidas reafirman compromiso de apoyar a sus Estados miembros en el proceso de desarrollo post-2015

Ver galería de fotos (19 de marzo, 2014) Los máximos representantes de las cinco comisiones regionales de las Naciones Unidas finalizaron un encuentro de dos días en la sede de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) en Santiago, Chile, en el cual reafirmaron su compromiso de apoyar y acompañar a sus Estados miembros en el proceso de la agenda de desarrollo post-2015, que ya se está discutiendo en distintos foros al interior del organismo mundial. A la reunión asisitieron los Secretarios Ejecutivos de la CEPAL, Alicia Bárcena, quien fue la anfitriona del evento; de …

Persiste brecha de género en inclusión digital en países de la región

(9 de abril, 2013) Las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC) abren variadas oportunidades para el empoderamiento de las mujeres y la igualdad de género, pero las mujeres latinoamericanas y caribeñas no están todavía en igualdad de condiciones en comparación con los hombres en la sociedad de la información y el conocimiento, señaló Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). Bárcena fue la oradora principal en el panel "Las mujeres y la inclusión social" que forma parte del Foro de Líderes Gubernamentales: América Lat…

Contribution of energy services to the millennium development goals and to poverty alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean

The energy debate has one dimension that is often sidelined: its relationship with poverty and development. This document attempts to shed some light on this aspect, unnoticed when public policies are being formulated.The document describes the results of the joint effort of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Club de Madrid, which highlight the crucial role of access to energy services[1] in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.Access to energy services, as a basic factor for poverty reducti…

Contribution of energy services to the Millennium Development Goals and to poverty alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean: executive summary

The energy debate has one dimension that is often sidelined: its relationship with poverty and development. This document attempts to shed some light on this aspect, overlooked when public policies are being formulated.The document describes the results of the joint effort of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Club de Madrid, which highlight the crucial role of access to energy services in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.Access to energy services, as a basic factor for poverty reductio…

Policy Brief: Evidence based policy-making in the Caribbean

There is much advocacy in the Caribbean regarding the need for evidence-based policy making, that is – policy making that is based on timely and reliable data regarding a particular economic and/or social problem, to promote good governance and facilitate enhanced policy and programme outcomes. However, the reality remains an elusive one for many Caribbean policy makers, who implement policies based on ideas, as well as ad hoc or outdated data. Outside of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America are countries where polic…

Personas Mayores en el marco de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible

Evento paralelo fue celebrado el lunes 22 de abril en la Sala Celso Furtado de la Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago, en el marco de la Tercera Reunión del Foro de Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible.…

De la innovación social a la política pública: historias de éxito en América Latina y el Caribe

La CEPAL, con el apoyo de la Fundación W.K. Kellogg, ha identificado y analizado 4.800 experiencias de innovación social provenientes de América Latina y el Caribe, recogidas en cinco ciclos anuales de concurso. Tras visitarlas en el terreno y ser evaluadas por el Comité de Notables, se seleccionaron 25 ganadoras consideradas las más innovadoras y con mayor impacto en el desarrollo social de la región. El objetivo de este libro es poner estas innovaciones y sobre todo su capacidad de mejorar las condiciones de vida de todas y todos los habitantes de la región, al servicio de grupos más amplios…

Da inovaçao a política pública: historias de êxito na América Latina e no Caribe

A CEPAL, com o apoio da Fundação W. K. Kellogg, identificou e analisou 4.800 experiências de inovação social provenientes da América Latina e do Caribe, selecionadas em cinco ciclos anuais do concurso. Após visitas de campo e avaliação do Comitê de Notáveis, foram selecionadas 25 experiências ganhadoras - consideradas as mais inovadoras e com maior impacto no desenvolvimento social da região. O objetivo deste livro é colocar estas inovações e, sobretudo, a capacidade que demonstraram para melhorar as condições de vida de todas e todos os habitantes da região, a serviço de grupos mais amplos d…

From social innovation to public policy. Success stories in Latin America and the Caribbean

ECLAC, with support from the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, identified and reviewed 4,800 social innovation experiences of Latin America and the Caribbean, gleaned in five annual competition cycles. After conducting on-site visits and evaluating the projects, the Selection Committee chose 25 winners it considered the most innovative and that had the greatest impact on the region's social development. The book's objective is to place these innovations and, above all, their capability for improving living conditions for every inhabitant of the region, at the service of broader groups of the p…

ECLAC and UNICEF Call to Meet Goal of Universal Birth Registration by 2015

(29 December 2011) According to the thirteenth issue of the bulletin Challenges launched today by ECLAC and UNICEF, it is estimated that 10% of children under the age of five in Latin America and the Caribbean are not registered, which infringes their ability to exercise their social, economic, civil and cultural rights. The article "A rights-based approach to birth registration in Latin America and the Caribbean", which is included in the latest issue of the joint publication, highlights that in total there are 6.5 million children without birth certificates in the region. It indicates that…

Evaluation of development account project 10/11 H Strengthening statistical and inter-institutional capacities for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals through interregional cooperation and knowledge-sharing

The outlook for agriculture and rural development in the Americas: a perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean, 2010

We are pleased to present the second edition of _e Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: a Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The purpose of the report is to contribute information and analysis to the complex decision-making process regarding agriculture and rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The last two years have been…

Sustainable development from a human rights perspective and the challenges it represents for the Caribbean SIDS (a discussion paper)

This report is commissioned by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, with the overall purpose of examining the extent to which the pursuit of sustainable development in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is guided by human rights considerations and, more specifically, to what extent human rights principles, norms, and standards are being integrated and mainstreamed in development programmes and projects, following a rights-based approach to development. For ECLAC itself, this is a relatively new approach…